Definitions
The European Agency for Health and Safety at Work defines external violence as "insults or threats or physical or psychological aggression exerted against a person in their place of work, by people outside the company, including customers, that endanger a person's health, safety or well-being."
Risk factors
External violence is a complex phenomenon which is explained by a combination of factors that do not always carry the same weight depending on the situation.
However, 4 potential causes are mainly cited:
- Socio-demographic factors: it has been shown that people with the least experience are those most frequently exposed to external violence.
- Socio-environmental and cultural factors: weakened social cohesion, a breakdown of community relations, severe difficulty in finding work, insecurity and increased stress make a number of individuals more irascible and less tolerant.
- Situational factors: the service sector, professions in contact with the general public, those responsible for maintaining order and those handling money and valuable objects are more frequently affected by these phenomena of external violence.
- Organisational factors: the service relationship maintained with the customer, the business operation and the organisation of the work can be vectors for dissatisfaction or even risks of aggression.
Means of prevention at a corporate level
- Staff training: Dialogue and communication techniques help to defuse risks of violence. Companies should work on preparing and training their employees who are often confronted with risks of external violence so that they are capable of managing potentially-violent, confrontational relations. Quite often, aside from obvious mental disorders or states of inebriation, if the risk is detected early enough, it is possible to avoid the aggression at the outset or finding a compromise. Training in conflict management and stress management for the staff who are exposed to it, and training on the early detection of potential aggressors should be provided by specialist consultants.
- The organisation of work: It is necessary to rethink the organisation of work, because if the latter is badly managed, it is likely to increase aggression from customers in particular if it:
- leaves employees on their own in facing the public
- causes frequent quality defects, thus multiplying the number of dissatisfied customers
- delivers information to customers verbally or in writing, that is unclear, incomplete, ambiguous, incorrect or contradictory, originating from different departments
- makes certain commercial promises that could put employees at odds with customers and force them to bear alone the dissatisfaction for which they are not responsible
- does not leave any room for manoeuvre to negotiate compensation, reimbursement, a credit note, or a free-of-charge return etc.
- The design of the workplace: There is no "standard solution" for prevention. The specific characteristics of each work environment should be considered in the design and furnishing of the workplace according to the risk of aggression.
- Controlled access, the installation of a security vestibule, installation of protective screens
- Installation of collective protective equipment or devices (video-surveillance or radio-surveillance systems, alarm and warning systems, toughened glass, metal detectors)
- Automatic tills and safes
- Good material conditions in reception (a comfortable waiting room, a considerate receptionist, clear signage etc.)
- Adequate and sufficient external lighting that is vandalism-proof.
- Caring for victims: Any company that deals with a frequent risk of external violence, must put in place a support and care procedure (psychological and legal) for victims, in order to limit the psychological effects of aggression.
- Conduct a screening of the symptoms to document the immediate effects. It is important to reassure the victim that there is no need to feel ashamed of these symptoms, which are simply normal responses to acute stress and not signs of weakness. It is only after the first few hours after the incident that the brain is able to deal with the event and to integrate it into the person’s experience, which manifests as a reduction in the intensity of the symptoms.
- Prevention of the use of alcohol or benzodiazapines (2 days maximum!) which delay rather than aid the ability to process the incident.
- Assistance for victims during police interviews
- After 4 weeks, patients should be referred to a specialist post-traumatic-stress therapy to avoid a permanent incapacity to work.
- Follow-up by psychologists or psychiatrists, in connection with occupational doctors who can invite victims to come back for an appointment two weeks after the trauma for a check-up. In the event that the symptoms do not reduce, or if they worsen, the patient should be transferred to a psychological trauma specialist. In the case of a reduction in symptoms, but without the ability to return to work, support the victim with a therapy that focuses on coping mechanisms.
- Role of the occupational doctor: The occupational doctor is one of the actors in the prevention of violence at work. In addition to his/her role of providing information to and raising the awareness of workers or employers who face this risk, he/she can participate in the development of targeted training and a safety policy at a corporate level, as well as for the relevant job roles. The occupational doctor can help to put in place the psychological care and follow-up for the victims and conduct the individual "debriefing" offered to the victim immediately after the aggression.
When there has been a real psychological trauma, requiring professional redeployment, it is the occupational doctor’s responsibility to diagnose the nature of the incapacity, and whether this is temporary or permanent. The occupational health doctor can help the company to develop and update the uniform occupational risks assessment document. The company must indeed assess the risks incurred by exposed employees in advance, specifically by detailing the general organisation of the company and studying the relevant job roles, the workplace set-up, the schedules and the work procedures, in order to identify the main risk factors for aggression. - Role of the superiors: Superiors must reassure the victim and demonstrate excellent listening skills. It is essential to re-establish a feeling of belonging to the team, because the victims are going to feel abruptly excluded from their usual work environment.
Solutions for victims of external violence
As a rule:
- Continue to appear calm. Maintain a neutral position and an even tone
- Remain courteous and do not interrupt the customer
- Remain constant and keep the discussion on track
- Be consistent and state your position while not hesitating to refute the often inaccurate suggestions made by the other person
- Do not leave anything within reach or sight of a dissatisfied customer because any object can become a weapon