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9 MANAGEMENT
TIPS FOR A
VIOLENCE - FREE WORKPLACE
- Don’t hire the misfits.
Check references, look for gaps in resumes. Although companies don’t
supply more than dates of someone’s previous employment, the reference
you call may feel morally compelled to tell you about certain behavioral
problems.
- Don’t keep the misfits.
If you see they don’t get along with others, or if they are pathological
blamers, get rid of them before it escalates.
- Match people’s personalities
and skills with the right jobs. Don’t put people with a supervisor
they can’t stand. That exacerbates a bad situation.
- Communicate. Listen to employees.
Explain things to them - in person. Don’t rely on E-mail for smoothing
out disagreements
- Consider counseling. Make
sure your company has an anonymous employee assistance program. That gives
staff an outlet to vent frustrations. In particularly egregious cases,
insist that employees avail themselves of that counseling.
- Maintain a fair grievance
procedure -- give employees an avenue to complain. Make them feel that,
even if they don’t get the answers they want, their voices were heard.
- Extend courtesy. Treat employees
as you would treat customers. Don’t reprimand an employee in public.
Don’t permit one person to harass another.
- Watch for the little things
-- a dirty bathroom can cause someone to blow.
- Act consistently and fairly.
Apply the same standards to everyone -- from your favorite employee to
the department’s problem child.
Source: Keith Black, an attorney at Black Rome Comisky & McCauley
LLP in Philadelphia.
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