3 Workplace Violence Prevention Strategies to Avoid Physical Harm (Pt. 2)

California’s new workplace violence prevention law requires employers to “develop strategies to avoid physical harm” to their employees from workplace violence.

In this piece, the second in my series on strategies to avoid physical harm, we’ll look at why de-escalation training must be a critical part of your workplace violence prevention training program. And we’ll go over some simple de-escalation techniques.

Hi, I’m Mike Corwin, the Owner of Help You Be Safe,LLC. I help employers design, implement, and maintain, an effective workplace violence prevention program to help keep their employees safe from violence. 

I learned de-escalation skills during the 30+ years that I worked as an investigator conducting civil and criminal litigation investigations in some of our nation’s most dangerous areas. I served many hundreds of court papers, which at times can get pretty tense. I developed andI used de-escalation skills as a way to bring down the intensity, and keep myself safe, during those stressful encounters.

I also investigated many workplace violence related incidents, and my approach to workplace violence prevention draws heavily upon what I learned from working on those many cases. 

California requires employers to have a workplace violence prevention program in place by July 1, 2024. I’ve got a useful tool to help you get started developing your program. My FREE workplace violence prevention checklist is a road map you can follow as you develop a workplace violence prevention plan. Click here to download now!

De-Escalation Is Your Last Best Chance to Avoid Physical Engagement

 The US Department of Homeland Security defines de-escalation as “the use of communication or other techniques during an encounter to stabilize, slow, or reduce the intensity of a potentially violent situation without using physical force, or with a reduction in force.”

Basically, it’s the process of calming a tense situation before it turns violent. 

Next to situational awareness, de-escalation is the most important element of a strategy to avoid physical harm from workplace violence. And that’s because it’s your last best chance to avoid physical engagement.

It’s critical for employees to develop de-escalation skills because literally any work that involves other people can lead to emotions spiraling out of control followed by violence. And that can happen, not just with those you work, but with those who you provide services to and their families, and to total strangers that you encounter while out doing your work

Will De-Escalation Work?

De-escalation will not work in every circumstance. There are no hard and fast rules. Some situations will turn violent regardless of what you do to try to prevent that from happening. And in those situations, defending yourself or others is the best way to avoid physical harm. But, whenever possible de-escalation is worth trying.

But here’s the catch. You may have only seconds to know if de-escalation has a chance to work, or if an attack is imminent.

An attack can happen in seconds, so you’ll need to be able to assess the likelihood of being able to de-escalate as quickly as possible. Here are some clues to help you decide quickly if de-escalation has a chance to work:

•  Is the person trying to close distance? If an angry person moves closer to you, even if in small increments, he’s positioning to attack you. He’s likely past the point of de-escalation. However, if he does not close in, regardless of anything he says, or gestures he makes, you may be able to de-escalate.
•  Is the person physically tensing? If you notice his shoulders rise, his hands clench, or other indicators that he’s coiling or tensing, an attack is likely. The tensing is a signal from the brain to prepare to engage. If you don’t see tensing, you may still be able to de-escalate before it turns violent.
•  Has he gone silent but remain visibly angry? Our brains have a hard time engaging in physical actions when we’re focused on listening or speaking. So if an angry person suddenly goes quiet or nearly quiet while remaining tense, and attack is more probable than not. If the person is continuing to talk, you have the chance to lessen the tension before it turns violent.
•  Is his gaze locked on you? If the escalating person is staring directly at you, rather than periodically looking around, or away from you, he’s more likely than not going to attack. He’s literally zeroing in on you in preparation to launch. If you notice he’s looking around, that’s an indicator to try de-escalation.

De-escalation Basics

 The tells we just looked at, are to help you recognize if de-escalation may be possible. Now will cover some basic de-escalation techniques and how to use them.

•  Breathe. In tense situations it can be easy to hold your breath. Don’t. Breathing keeps oxygen flowing to your brain, and helps you to remain calm so that you can speak and act calmly during a tense situation.
•  Use reflective listening. Reflective listening is paraphrasing back what someone says. It helps de-escalate by providing a visible way that shows you’re listening to that person. Many angry, and agitated people just want to be heard. Saying “I hear you” or “I see what you’re saying,” before paraphrasing back, can be effective. Reflective listening also helps with de-escalation as it transitions a person from speaking to listening even if he doesn’t want to do so. And when he’s listening to you, he’s not launching an attack. You can say something like, “so what you’re saying is” Or “Let me make sure I understand what you are saying,” and then repeat back to the person what he said. 
•  Answer a question with a question. Again, the concept here is to redirect his thoughts away from violence. And answering a question with a question can cause that to occur. You can ask something like “How so?” You can also simply just ask “really?” In response to a statement.
•  Use your own body language to depict calm. We can unknowingly escalate a tense situation through our body language. Things like staring too long, or standing too close to an agitated person can do that. Clenching your hands into a fist, which someone might do reflexively, without even thinking about it, from fear of an attack, is actually more likely to increase the threat of an attack than to calm things down. Contrast that with what I call the “safe stance”. Hands are open and palms facing towards the angry person. This is how we show “calm down” in a physical way. And, holding your hands in this manner not only helps with de-escalation, but still allows you to defend yourself if necessary.

Constantly Monitor His Reaction and Response

Don’t assume that your de-escalation techniques are working automatically. Monitor that person’s body language, and actions, looking for tells to indicate if it is or isn’t working. As long as he has not closed the distance towards you, keep trying to de-escalate even if your efforts seem to not be working. 

Just remember the key to de-escalation is to try to shift his thoughts away from an attack.

Want to get started on developing the required workplace violence prevention program by the July 1, 2024 deadline? I’ve got a useful tool to help you get started developing your program. Download my FREE workplace violence prevention checklist. It’s a great road map for you to follow as you develop a workplace violence prevention plan. Click here to download. 

In the final part of the three parts on strategies to avoid physical harm. We’ll go over what your employees should know about defending themselves to keep from being physically harmed during an incident of workplace violence.

If you'd like some help creating, implementing, and maintaining a workplace violence prevention program that complies with California's new law, you can schedule a free 15 phone consultation by clicking here. We'll discuss your organization's specific needs, and where you are at in the process of developing a workplace violence prevention program, and some approaches you can take to help you implement an effective program.