Managing Customer Harassment and Bullying Behaviours
In response to Bill 14, Bill 168 and other Provincial regulatory requirements, organizations recognize that their employees need the confidence and skills to respond appropriately to bullying and harassing behaviours directed at them by customers, clients as well as co-workers.
Customer Harassment and Bullying For a number of reasons including personal safety, employees, at times, will need to use a different approach when dealing with challenging customer behaviours as opposed to what they might say or do in response to co-worker behaviours.
Simply directing staff to set limits or refuse service when customers raise their voices, swear, display aggression or exhibit other abusive behaviours will often result in escalated customer behaviours and subsequently increases risk to workers.
WorkSafeBC (Bill 14) and Ontario's Ministry of Labour (Bill 168) did not introduce legislation in order to increase the risk of customer violence in an effort to prevent personal harassment and bullying from customers or clients.
Managing customer behaviours doesn't mean that employees "have to take it.
" Workers require the necessary tools to assess dynamic situations, remain objective, maintain self-control and understand that they have safe and effective choices for how they might respond.
Safety has to remain the priority and defusing becomes the focus.
In British Columbia, workers are now required to report harassing behaviours.
Definition of Harassment : Any inappropriate conduct or comment by a person towards a worker that the person knew or reasonably ought to have known would cause that worker to be humiliated or intimidated, but excludes any reasonable action taken by an employer or supervisor relating to the management and direction of workers or the place of employment.
In the case of an escalated and potentially volatile situation, post incident follow up is an effective and safe way to support workers, as part of the process for managing future behaviours of customers and clients.
Zero tolerance should be about what the organization is prepared to do in response to their workers safely managing situations or incidents rather than simply saying to workers "you don't have to tolerate that behaviour, so set limits, refuse service or walk away.
" Ouch! Organizations will need to think carefully about the wording of policies as well as their choice of training curriculum.
Regulatory compliance is a concern for many Canadian employers, but the cost of incidents, claims, employee absenteeism, turnover, service motivation and loss of productivity should be of major concern.
Policies, procedures, a complaint process, incident investigation and post incident support is required but may have little to do with preventing unwanted behaviours involving clients or co-workers.
It's also important to remember that no matter what we label these behaviours and study their root cause, unwanted behaviours continue unless action is taken.
With appropriate training, workers and supervisors ought to have the tools and motivation to assess situations and respond professionally, effectively and safely.
Hugh Pelmore is the President of ARETE safety and protection inc.
, a Canadian firm that specializes in training and consultation for workplace violence prevention and management of workplace conflict.
Toll free: 1- 877.
337.
1122 http://www.
arete.
ca/news
Customer Harassment and Bullying For a number of reasons including personal safety, employees, at times, will need to use a different approach when dealing with challenging customer behaviours as opposed to what they might say or do in response to co-worker behaviours.
Simply directing staff to set limits or refuse service when customers raise their voices, swear, display aggression or exhibit other abusive behaviours will often result in escalated customer behaviours and subsequently increases risk to workers.
WorkSafeBC (Bill 14) and Ontario's Ministry of Labour (Bill 168) did not introduce legislation in order to increase the risk of customer violence in an effort to prevent personal harassment and bullying from customers or clients.
Managing customer behaviours doesn't mean that employees "have to take it.
" Workers require the necessary tools to assess dynamic situations, remain objective, maintain self-control and understand that they have safe and effective choices for how they might respond.
Safety has to remain the priority and defusing becomes the focus.
In British Columbia, workers are now required to report harassing behaviours.
Definition of Harassment : Any inappropriate conduct or comment by a person towards a worker that the person knew or reasonably ought to have known would cause that worker to be humiliated or intimidated, but excludes any reasonable action taken by an employer or supervisor relating to the management and direction of workers or the place of employment.
In the case of an escalated and potentially volatile situation, post incident follow up is an effective and safe way to support workers, as part of the process for managing future behaviours of customers and clients.
Zero tolerance should be about what the organization is prepared to do in response to their workers safely managing situations or incidents rather than simply saying to workers "you don't have to tolerate that behaviour, so set limits, refuse service or walk away.
" Ouch! Organizations will need to think carefully about the wording of policies as well as their choice of training curriculum.
Regulatory compliance is a concern for many Canadian employers, but the cost of incidents, claims, employee absenteeism, turnover, service motivation and loss of productivity should be of major concern.
Policies, procedures, a complaint process, incident investigation and post incident support is required but may have little to do with preventing unwanted behaviours involving clients or co-workers.
It's also important to remember that no matter what we label these behaviours and study their root cause, unwanted behaviours continue unless action is taken.
With appropriate training, workers and supervisors ought to have the tools and motivation to assess situations and respond professionally, effectively and safely.
Hugh Pelmore is the President of ARETE safety and protection inc.
, a Canadian firm that specializes in training and consultation for workplace violence prevention and management of workplace conflict.
Toll free: 1- 877.
337.
1122 http://www.
arete.
ca/news
