Your Behavior and Management Style Can Affect the Office
By exhibiting certain behaviors, or allowing certain behaviors to be exhibited by your employees, you
may contribute to a hostile or "unhealthy" work environment. Remember:
- allowing aggressive or inappropriate conduct without taking action can foster a hostile
or threatening work environment, in which employees feel harassed or intimidated.
- decision-making without employee input or participation
can lead to frustrated employees who don’t feel valued as anything but "worker
bees."
- your staff looks to you to assist in resolving conflicts.
You are better equipped to resolve workplace conflicts
if both you and your staff have had conflict resolution
training.
- if you are inconsistent or unpredictable, your employees
will be unsure of your expectations and become frustrated.
- engaging in relationships with your employees that
are personal or too informal may lead to misunderstandings,
as well as other employees feeling alienated.
Go to top
Be a Good Leader
You can set the direction for establishing a harmonious, productive workplace, which can prevent
the potential for workplace violence. Good leadership includes:
- setting a good example for your employees;
- communicating clear standards;
- providing clear rationale underlying your decisions;
- ensuring your employees have the resources and training
to do their job;
- getting to know your employees;
- conducting performance counseling and assisting employees
who are having performance problems;
- addressing misconduct promptly;
- availing yourself of advice from Human Resources when
you have any questions or concerns, even prior to the
need to pursue disciplinary and performance-based actions;
- treating employees fairly and equitably, and applying
rules consistently.
Go to top
Be on the Lookout for Signs that Can Lead to Workplace Violence:
- a usually outgoing, communicative employee becomes
withdrawn and quiet.
- an employee frequently comes in late for work, then
is argumentative with coworkers and behaves erratically.
- an employee voices a keen interest in weapons or explosives.
- an employee persists in expressing romantic interest
towards a coworker who is obviously not interested.
- an employee suddenly takes no interest in maintaining
his or her personal appearance or hygiene.
- an employee makes comments about violent means of dealing
with, or coping with, a particular situation.
- an employee talks about "having nothing to lose" or
not caring about anything anymore.
In addition to recognizing and responding to potential
signs of workplace violence from your employees,
remember that customers, relatives or acquaintances
of employees, and outsiders can be perpetrators of
violent acts or threats.
Go to top
Be Ready to Act
In emergency situations, dial 911.
When inappropriate behavior occurs,
you need to deal with the situation. You need
to: gather all of the facts, analyze the immediate
situation, involve whatever parties are appropriate
to assist you, formulate a plan, and intervene. If
you know that someone is in danger, you need to act
quickly, but remember that acting too quickly without
having the necessary facts can fuel the situation.
Call CIVIL (2-4845) for advice and assistance. In
any case involving real (immediate) or potential
(immediate OR developing) violence, call CIVIL to
report the situation. CIVIL will involve the parties
appropriate to assist from an NIH team of resources
including campus police, the Employee Assistance
Program, the Center for Conflict Resolution, and
IC representatives.
Go to top
|
