ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY Workplace Violence Avoidance & Intervention

Transcription

1 Vilni &ath Count; Administrative Policy 02-I Workplace Violence Avoidance & Intervention Page 1 of 5 or coerce Harassment includes verbal taunting (including racial and ethnic slurs) i hich, in the employee s opinion, impairs his or her ability to perform his/her job following, stalking, touching, or other inappropriate physical contact or advances, including attacks involving the use of a weapon, and actions such as hitting, punching, pushing, poking, or reputations Physical intimidatlon may include holding, impeding or blocking movement DEFINITIONS: others This may include making statements that are false, malicious, disparaging, derogatory, rude, disrespectful, abusive, obnoxious, insubordinate, or have the intent to hurt others a troubling or disturbing environment, impairs office operations, or frightens, alarms, or inhibits Intimidating or Bullying Behavior- conduct which in the opinion of a reasonable person creates Harassment- unwanted and repeated verbal or physical conduct designed to threaten, intimidate, Human Resources department RESPONSIBLE PARTY: employee s participation is critical to the success of this policy Avoiding violence is every employee s responsibility Employees should ask questions about any confusing material, and talk with their supervisor or manager to thoroughly understand their responsibility for violence avoidance and what Ihey can do to help should the need arise Every employees and customers in our workplace during and in the course of the employee s official duties In acknowledging that changing times create uncertainty, and violence ma) increase as a customers This Workplace Violence Avoidance & Intervention Policy is intended to further [he safety of our result, it is necessary and desirable to enhance the atsareness and skills of management at all levels for recognizing and handling situations which could result in harm to our employees or CLERK S MESSAGE: ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE: 10/29/2008 SUBJECT: Workplace Violence Avoidance & Intervention TO: All Employees FROM: Sharon R Bock, Clerk & Comptroller ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY Workplace Violence Avoidance & Intervention Dtrk & Cornp miitr SHARON K. BOCK

2 Clerk s office, employees or others. hitting, fighting, pushing, shoving or throwing objects. Physical Attack- intentional, unwanted or hostile physical contact with another person such as Property Darn age- intentional damage to property, which includes property owned by the Administrative Policy 02-I Workplace Violence Avoidance & Intervention Page 2 of 5 For the purposes of this policy, a deadly weapon is defined to include all firearms, such as tools, such as knives or other cutting utensils, bows and arrows, bats, brass knuckles, mace, handguns, rifles, and shotguns. The term also includes any explosive devices. Other objects or not limited to all firearms and explosive devices. Firearms and other deadly weapons are Clerk-leased, or Clerk-rented property, or in Clerk-owned or Clerk-leased vehicles. Employees may keep a firearm locked in their privately owned vehicle. forbidden on Clerk Property, including without limitation, any Clerk work-site, on Clerk-owned, The Clerk s office prohibits the possession, use or threat to use a deadly weapon, including but I. BAN ON DEADLY WEAPONS Every employee is expected to understand this policy, report acts or threats of violence and lead to serious counseling action, up to and including separation. Refer to the Employee Handbook for information regarding the Clerk s anti-bullying philosophy. threatening acts against employees or customers. cooperate with Clerk officials in policy enforcement. Violations of this policy by employees will criminal prosecution of anyone within or outside of the organization who commits violent or The Clerk is also committed to full cooperation with law enforcement agencies to support important to the Clerk than the safety and security of its employees and customers. All Clerk is committed to taking reasonable steps to reduce the risks of workplace violence and to collectively to avoid, defuse or mitigate actual or threatened violent behavior at work to enforce customer, vendor or member of the general public. Such acts will not be tolerated or ignored. The and support this policy. employees, and especially managers and supervisors, are obligated to act individually and property crimes, threats, intimidating or bullying behavior, or acts of violence by any employee, provide a coordinated, prompt and effective response to such incidents. Nothing is more It is the goal of the Clerk to provide a workplace that is safe and free from attacks, harassment, risks in the course of the employee s official duties. workplace violence and the policies for reporting, avoiding, and reducing workplace violence POLICY: The Clerk & Comptroller s office clearly sets forth the opposition to violence and the threat of Workplace Violence- includes, but is not limited to, harassment, threats, physical attacks and involve, but is not limited to, verbal threats, written threats or non-verbal gestures. of whether the person communicating the threat has the present ability to carry out the threat and Threat- the expression of intent to cause physical or mental harm or emotional distress regardless regardless of whether the threat is contingent, conditional or future. An expression of intent can property damage. kicking (see also Physical Attack). Intimidating or threatening behavior includes bullying and may cause bodily or emotional injury, pain and/or distress.

3 in violation of this policy. Prior to a request for a property search, the manager must notify the Clerk has reasonable grounds, such as reports of witnesses, to believe that an employee may be property such as packages, briefcases, purses and similar containers, on Clerk property if the The Clerk may request the cooperation of an employee in agreeing to a search of personal Administrative Policy 02-I Workplace Violence Avoidance & Intervention Page 3 of 5 (Palm Beach County Sheriff s Office) at or or use the panic button or hotline In case of emergency in which immediate threats, injury, or violent acts are occurring or have just occurred, an employee s FIRST action must be to immediately call the Command Center III. INCIDENT REPORTING & PROTECTION FROM RETALIATION Clerk can best assist in reducing unnecessary risks if [he existence of Restraining Orders is made known as described above. It is not possible for there to be any guarantees of complete safety for the employee; however, the Human Resources Officer is strongly urged. to fear for her or his personal safety, reporting of these concerns to his/her manager and the Chief copy of same. Even in the case where an employee has not secured a Court Order, but has reason Employees may sometimes be involved in domestic, neighbor or other disputes which may lead behavior of a person in relation to the employee. In order to help the Clerk maintain the safest manager immediately upon the issuance of any such restricting Court Orders and providing a possible work environment, employees should seek to include their work locations as well as their residence addresses in such Court Orders. Employees are strongly encouraged to inform the Chief Human Resources Officer as well as their to the granting by a Court of injunctions, restraining orders and other Court Orders Limiting the II. RESTRAINING ORDERS & INJUNCTIONS official Clerk s business. no expectations of privacy in terms of searches of the Clerk s property including computer hard The Clerk s managerial and supervisory employees have the right to enter or search the Clerk s (even with a privately owned lock) and office equipment, such as copiers, fax machines, result in counseling action, up to and including separation. work site with or without prior notice. The Clerk s property includes desks, file cabinets, Lockers computers, phones, voice mail and . Employees are hereby notified that they should have threat of violence may be used in support of counseling action, up to and including separation, Possession of a deadly weapon on any Clerk work site by any employee in the course of such Employee s official duties, even without its actual use, isa violation of the Clerk s policy and may drives. All are subject to monitoring by lhe Clerk and any misuse in connection with an act or or criminal prosecution, even following a first offense. Office property is to be used only for and including separation. to remove the personal property from the Clerk s property may result in counseling action up to dangerous. Employees may be asked or directed to remove personal property from the Clerk s work site should the employee be unwilling to agree to a search. Refusal to comply with an order request. Unattended packages and containers such as those described above are subject to removal by law enforcement personnel when they are felt to be suspicious in nature and possibly Chief Human Resources Officer and/or their Director of the reason for a personal property search deadly weapons when, in the Clerk s judgment, these objects are brandished or used in a violent, threatening, aggressive, or offensive manner in relalion to the facts of a given situation. pepper spray, tear gas, or tools such as axes, screwdrivers, hammers, etc. may be considered

4 Chief Human Resources Officer or to the appropriate security personnel at the location in which the incident occurred before or after normal business hours. Employees who know or have incident of violent, threatening, intimidating, or bullying behavior, whether committed by another employee or other individual such as a vendor, customer or citizen, immediately to the The incident is to be reported by the employee to his/her manager. Employees must report each Administrative Policy 02-I Workplace Violence Avoidance & Intervention Page 4 of 5 parties involved and any witnesses, as well as the obtaining of written statements. All employees will conduct an investigation into the incident. The investigation will include interviews with all cooperation with the manager and Senior Staff member, law enforcement or others as needed, Once the immediate situation is controlled, the Chief Human Resources Officer or designee, in higher standard of conduct in setting positive examples to maintain a workplace free from comments or behaviors, or violations of this policy. Appropriate actions include: Center Command Center at (or ) or use the panic button or hotline violence or the threat of violence by their own behavior and demeanor at work. effectively in reporting incidents brought to their attention to the Chief Human Resources Officer, actions to safely defuse potentially dangerous situations. Resources Officer. The Clerk s management personnel have a professional responsibility and may be held to a Branch locations must immediately contact and then notify the Chief Human Management has an additional responsibility to enforce this policy by acting promptly and individuals, attempt to separate the individuals, unless such action would cause others to and the appropriate security personnel at the location in which the incident occurred. button, where provided. The manager must notify the Chief Human Resources Officer C. In violent or volatile situations, immediately call the Courthouse and Governmental be endangered. B. When confronted with a violent or intimidating or bullying act between two or more A. Prohibit the escalation of a verbal altercation into a more serious situation. IV. ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL in cooperating with that official, law enforcement and others in investigations, and in taking All managers and supervisors have a responsibility not to walk by or tolerate inappropriate possible counseling action, up to and including separation. Complaints submitted anonymously false or malicious reports violate this policy and subject the person making such a report to employee to the Chief Human Resources Officer and to his/her manager. An investigation will limitations to the investigation. as a result of such report. Any retaliation or harassment must be reported immediately by the be conducted promptly and appropriate action will be taken in a timely manner. Deliberately intimidating or bullying behavior under this policy will not be subject to harassment or retaliation An employee who acts in good faith in reporting real or perceived threats or acts of violence or will be investigated; however, due to the nature of anonymous complaints, there will be Failure to make such a report may constitute grounds for counseling action, up to and including behavior has or is about to take place have an affirmative obligation to report that information. separation. reasonable suspicion that an act of violence, threat of violence, or intimidating or bullying All other locations must immediately contact button, where provided (a list of their locations is available to applicable department managers).

5 pending completion of an investigation and until further advised. This action, when necessary, separation. employee may be immediately suspended without pay and ordered not to return to the work site presence of an employee at the work site pending an investigation would not be appropriate, an lithe situation is serious enough that possible separation may be involved and/or the continued of the Chief Human Resources Officer and/or the Clerk. V. THE CLERK S RESPONSIBILITIES All alleged violations of this policy will be investigated promptly by the Chief Human Resources In the event of a major workplace incident which affects or may affect the mental or emotional be required as a condition of continued employment. LBY Administrative Policy 02-I Workplace Violence Avoidance & Intervention PageS of 5 SHARON R. BOCK, CLERK & COMPTROLLER DATE 9-/i- REVIEWED BY LEGA COUNSEL HCP-Legal Services at 9:00 am, Aug 14, 2018J [APPROVED Normal business operations will be restored following a major workplace incident as rapidly as employee can call the Clerk s Hotline emergency number (561) through direct contact from supervisors and managers, and if away from the work site, the possible. Notification to employees about the status of the Clerk s operations will be made accordance with the Clerk s policies, appropriate action will be taken to sanction any employee well-being of employees, the Clerk will provide initial counseling and support services to affected whether or not this policy or other policies have been violated and establish accountability. In determined to be in violation of this policy, or any other related policy, up to and including without pay, pending investigation due to the severity of the circumstances. separation, even following a first offense. The Clerk may immediately suspend such an employee employees and immediate family members through the Employee Assistance Program and/or trained therapists or counselors selected by the Clerk, as deemed appropriate. Counseling may Officer and reported immediately to the Clerk. The Chief Human Resources Officer will establish involved are to receive specific orders not to engage in such retaliatory behavior or harassment Managers and supervisors have a key role in the protection of persons from retaliation or harassment due to reports of threats or acts of violence pursuant to this policy. All employees may be taken according to standard Clerk practice, which requires notification and concurrence and be available to appropriate personnel officials in the conduct of an investigation. may constitute insubordination and be grounds for counseling action, up to and including have a duty to cooperate in such an investigation. Failure to do so when directed to cooperate