Mel Thomas & Associates

Handling Aggression at Work

" I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to".

Handling Difficult Situations – Violence and Aggression

 Overview

 Increasing violence in society generally means that the number and type of workers who face the possibility of being assaulted at work is increasing. In a survey of 210 places with a total of over 86,000 employees more than two thirds felt that the level of abuse and violence had increased in the last five years and at least 20% of employees suffer threatening behaviour at work according to a survey by the London School of Economics.

Many organisations have become increasingly concerned about this problem in recent years especially highlighted since the widely publicised cases such as that of Suzy Lamplugh.

This course is designed specifically for people who work with potentially difficult customers and service users. It is designed to help them identify their rights, responsibilities and techniques to minimise the potential threat of aggressive and violent behaviour

Objectives

 By the end of the course you will be able to:

  • Identify your rights and responsibilities in relation to Health and Safety in the Workplace
  • Define why people are violent and aggressive
  • Establish what factors increase the risk of violence and aggression
  • Link you Authority’s Violence and Aggression policy to yourself and your colleagues
  • Recognise the advantages and disadvantages of fear
  • Read potentially dangerous situations
  • Assess what signals to give out in difficult situations
  • Identify areas of potential risk in your workplace
  • Develop skills to cope with an aggressive situation
  • Identify when you and colleagues may need additional support mechanisms to deal with the aftermath of a distressing situation

Target Group

Any member of staff dealing with potentially difficult customers or service users

Content

  •  Welcome and Introductions
  • The Law and Personal Safety
  • Your Organisation’s Policy and You
  • Why People are Aggressive?
  • Understanding Fear
  • Reading Signals – Theirs and Yours
  • Risk Assessment
  • Diffusion Techniques
  • Post Incident Counselling
  • Action Planning

Duration

 1 day