Every employer wants to ensure that a working environment is a place where employees can focus on their work while being productive. However, there will be situations in the workplace where the environment is not conducive for work, which can cause a lot of stress for some employees.
Although management groups are actively addressing working environments, there will be situations that other employees will intentionally harass and be assaulted by other employees. In fact, there were around 20,000 injuries and 454 fatalities in 2019 alone from assault in the workplace.
The good news here is that many of these violent incidents can be prevented and addressed at the workplace. So what are some ways of ensuring that you are safe from harassment and assault in the workplace? What are some necessary steps that you need to take? Here’s what to know.
Find a Safe Place
Safety should be your top priority in any given scenario. Many violent incidents in the workplace can happen at any given time. Although many supervisors and managers want to ensure that production is optimal in the workplace, there will be instances that hazards can cause various injuries. Many of these injuries can come to be both physical and psychological.
Although there are many types of injuries caused by accidents, there are also many intentional injuries from co-workers. If an individual is assaulting you in the workplace, you need to remove yourself from the area as soon as possible immediately.
Ensure that there is some distance between you and your attacker so that they cannot cause any more harm. It’s paramount that you remain calm and rational, even if you might have adrenaline pumping. Although you might be tempted to consider taking revenge, you need to be mindful of what the person is saying and doing because this can be used in legal cases. But if you consider yourself to be dangerous, then self-defense is the best source of action in this scenario. Safety and self-preservation should be your priority at all times.
Collect Evidence
Once you’re now safe and have addressed your injuries, ensure that law enforcement authorities know about your situation. Still, you should consider compiling your evidence and your data, which helps prove the assault was aimed towards you and why the assault happened. It’s best to record the situation with your phone’s camera because it can serve as strong evidence.
For instance, if a customer or a co-worker attacked you, capture the situation through video as soon as possible. In most cases, workplaces will already have cameras that can help deter harassment and assault.
Get Legal Help
Another critical step in this situation is presenting your evidence to a legal professional. But before reaching out to a legal professional, you need to let your management know about the incident. The issue should first be addressed within the organization. If both parties cannot come up with a solution, seeking legal advice should be your last viable option.
Fortunately, you won’t have to look far since professional personal injury lawyers are well-versed with cases related to personal injuries, assault, and harassment. Having professional help and supervision has always been one of the best ways of expediting the process and getting the best results out of your situation.
Demand Reform
Another way to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you or anyone else at the workplace is by demanding reforms from the administration. Although it might seem like the issue has been dealt with, there will still be situations where it can happen to other co-workers, not just yourself.
You can make a statement to the business management group or push some changes towards that workplaces and businesses should not tolerate workplace harassment and assault. If these conflicts can’t be resolved civilly, there are bound to be workers who will leave for other opportunities.
Reforms can change how management will handle their workforce, better working conditions, and investing in safety equipment that can mitigate the likelihood of injuries. Not only will these changes keep employees safe, but this can also ensure that the productivity of employees is maximized.
Many employees face harassment at the workplace every day. Whatever the situation might be, assault and harassment at work should never be taken lightly. If you’re having some trouble at work and many of your co-workers are fostering a hostile environment that can affect the productivity of you and many of your colleagues, then it’s best to ask for legal help. There will be situations where administrations and management groups won’t address this situation since many consider it a trivial issue. Still, it’s important to set yourself as an example of why this should stop.
