The Role of Psychological Safety in Workplace Violence Prevention

Workplace violence is often considered to be a physical act, such as hitting, pushing, or worse, assault. Those are clearly forms of violence, and they require urgent attention because the risk of immediate harm is high; however, this is only part of the picture.

Incidents of verbal abuse, threats of violence, exclusion, sexual harassment, racism and other forms of psychological aggression from customers and co-workers are on the rise. Research confirms that over 40% of Canadians have experienced bullying, abuse, harassment or discrimination in the workplace.

While these behaviours don’t necessarily cause visible, physical wounds, they can lead to serious mental health issues.

When repeated or ignored, they can lead to:

• stress, anxiety, and trauma

• withdrawal, disengagement, and reduced performance

• increased absenteeism or presenteeism

Prevention begins with a solid action plan

The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers to protect employees from violence and harassment in the workplace. If you haven't already, you should conduct a risk assessment to identify workplace violence hazards, develop a workplace violence policy and an action plan to address any gaps.

It’s also important to provide leaders and employees with the skills and knowledge needed to de-escalate a situation or get help when needed. 

WSPS’s free, web-based Workplace Violence Risk Assessment Tool is designed to streamline the risk assessment process and the development of an action plan. 

Compliance is only the beginning of the journey

While it is important to have the right foundation in place, compliance alone is not enough. A policy can exist while harmful behaviour continues. Training can be completed while employees still hesitate to act or speak up. When this happens, prevention begins to break down.

• Employees are unclear about what counts as harm

• Leaders hesitate because they are unsure when or how to act

• Systems focus on incidents instead of early warning signals

• Employees stay silent because they do not trust the process

In this environment, incidents of violence and harassment are likely to increase and the impact on employees and the organization can be significant and, sometimes, irreversible. 

Feeling unsafe or unsupported, employees start to carry emotional and psychological strain and eventually become disengaged or leave the organization, which can lead to an increase in absenteeism and a drop in productivity. And, if there is an increase in the number of psychological injury and disability claims, the organization can face reputational and legal risks.

Build a crisis-ready environment to encourage healthy and safe behaviour

A crisis-ready approach shifts the focus from reacting to incidents to identifying and addressing hazards before they escalate.

Crisis ready organizations watch for signals, such as changes in behaviour or mood, escalating tension or unresolved conflict, repeated disrespect or exclusion, and signs of overload or withdrawal. They don’t treat them as minor issues; they recognize them as early indicators of risk. 

Paying attention to warning signs and creating an environment where employees engage in help-seeking behaviours, support their peers and feel safe raising concerns will enable you to better address risks before they escalate.

Building leader and employee capability

Workplace violence rarely begins with a major event. More often, it develops through a series of smaller behaviours and warning signs that go unaddressed. Prevention breaks down when definitions are unclear, leaders hesitate to act, systems are not monitored, or employees remain silent.

Leaders cannot be everywhere, and formal reporting systems don’t always tell the full story. When employees across the organization are equipped to recognize risk and respond appropriately, you gain critical visibility into risky behaviours and conditions before they develop into more serious incidents.

When employees understand how to identify psychosocial hazards and early warning signs, you can intervene before behaviours escalate and encourage employees to act as upstanders rather than bystanders. 

Programs such as Crisis Ready Interventionist (CRI) training can help you train employees to build their capability and add significant value to your psychological health and safety (PHS) program.

Monitor and measure your prevention efforts to optimize impact

Most organizations are relatively strong at planning and implementing initiatives. Where prevention efforts often weaken is in the checking and acting stages. Without ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement, systems become static, early warning signs are missed, and risk continues to evolve unchecked.

A practical way to do this is by taking a Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) approach:

• Plan: Identify hazards and define controls
• Do: Implement policies, training, and supports
• Check: Monitor behaviours, trends, and early warning signals
• Act: Adjust based on what is being learned

The PDCA process helps ensure prevention efforts are intentional, monitored, and continuously improved. It will also help you elevate your program beyond compliance, and help you build a culture of accountability, learning, and continuous improvement.

Go beyond compliance to build trust and accountability

While understanding your duties and responsibilities under the OHSA and having a solid plan in place are critical first steps, building a culture of trust and accountability and a shared responsibility for early intervention requires more. By following the steps outlined above, violence and harassment are less likely to remain hidden and less likely to grow, resulting in a safer workplace with improved well-being, engagement, productivity and retention.

Get to know the authors – Dr. Bill Howatt