Workplace Violence - Staying Focused on What's Important For Self Defense

In the realm of workplace violence and policy development, there is a problem that is both preventing companies and their employees from being safe, causing policy and procedures to miss the mark, and resulting in damage, financial loss, and even the loss of life.

What I mean is that, managers and administrators focus most of their time, either in denial about the problem of workplace violence or the possibility of it occurring in their business, or creating more policies related to prevention and reporting. Meanwhile, they are creating or, more to the point, "allowing" a gap to exist within their overall workplace violence and crisis management plan that leaves themselves, their employees, and the company, as a whole, completely unprepared for actual physical violence.

If you are to be able to escape from or survive an actual act of violence, you must first accept that violence exists AND can touch you. Living in denial or under the delusion that you are somehow invisible or impervious to danger - that you are the one exception in the whole human race that can't or won't be targeted by another irrational human being or other natural disaster will only leave you paralyzed in fear when something happens. This first phase of an overall 8-phase strategic formula for safety and self-protection that I teach my clients is called General Awareness.

In this phase, we consider not only the fact that danger exists, but what forms it could take and the types of attackers you could encounter. This information allows you to seek out exactly the types of self defense training, tactics, and techniques that would work to de-escalate, escape from or defend against an attack if and when it does come at you. Remember, violence is random. It can happen in any business, and at any time. And when it does, you are either prepared for it, or not.

But, I digress. The information that we gather in the "General Awareness" phase of our plan is absolutely useless in the moment of an attack. Because, in the moment when pure, unadulterated and uncivilized brutality is being thrown at you, the only thing that matters is quick, decisive, and pre-planned action. This is true in emergency situations where medical professionals are trying to save lives. It's true when a company has a crisis where massive amounts of money are being lost and the company's future is at stake. And, it's true when you are face-to-face with a violent aggressor trying to beat, break or kill you on the job!

This type of thinking - the "why is this happening?" and "why would this person do such a thing?" mentality, instead of taking action is not what's important during an attack. It reminds me of an old story about a warrior who was shot with an arrow. Before he would let anyone take the arrow out of him, he wanted to know the name and family of the archer who shot him, the type and materials the arrow was made of, the bird that the feathers came from, what poison it was tipped with, etc., before they could answer all of his questions - he died of his wounds.

Too much overthinking and not enough action based on knowledge and experience will do nothing to help you, and anyone that you're responsible for to escape from or survive a real workplace violence attack. And, let's also not forget that no amount of whining, blaming, or punishment for the attacker will take away the pain, loss, or fact that you just weren't prepared when you needed to be. That's why there are 8-phases to an effective plan or formula for developing the section missing from most workplace violence plans - the piece that deals with the operative word in your plan - violence!

If you don't have the knowledge and experience to put this critical, life-saving element into your existing plan and procedures (don't worry, most managers and administrators don't) then your first step is to find someone who does. And remember, you're not limited to choosing between gung-ho karate masters or ex-military commando types, nor the other extreme of the passive consultant with no experience at dealing with violence.

To be safe, you and your employees do not have to have a training program that will turn you into martial arts black belts. You also don't have to train for years to be proficient. There are programs and trainers out there who can give you the content you need, and within the context of your business needs. You can get the self defense training to be able to protect yourself during a workplace violence attack - training that is both easy to learn and effective, as-well-as being liability conscious and allows your managers and employees to convey professionalism and concern throughout the incident.

Do you want to learn more about the way I do it? I have just completed a brand new special report for surviving workplace violence attacks entitled, "Attack-Proof Your Facility"

Download it free here: Workplace Violence

What if you could add life-saving training that would allow you and your employees to easily and effectively de-escalate, escape from, or survive a workplace violence attack without the concern for liability issues, collateral damage, or financial loss to your business? How? By following this simple, proven system for workplace violence self defense success: http://www.wcinternational.com

Jeffrey Miller teaches individuals, organizations, and business owners the critical components necessary to not die or fall victim in a violent situation. Jeff says "If you have a serious desire to learn what you must know to be a survivor, I can teach you how to master the skills necessary to successfully defend yourself against any attacker, guaranteed" Mr. Miller also provides keynotes, seminars, workshops, teleseminars, and execu-camps(TM), and is an international speaker.

What Could You, Would You, Should You Do To Survive A Catastrophic Workplace Violence Situation?

There you are, minding your own business - doing your work, and then all you hear is the sound of screaming, crashing, and gunfire! At least you think it's gun fire. After all, you've only ever heard it in the movies before this very moment.

Question: What could you, should you, would you do, if this were happening to you right now?

Thank God it's not, right? I mean, after all, this is just a hypothetical question.

Right?

But, what if it wasn't?

What if, out of the blue... you know... when you least expect it...

...you find yourself inside hell and need to survive?

What then?

Here's another question: Can YOU, right now... do ANYTHING at all?


Do you have a plan of action?

A plan that you can follow as soon as something happens? Or, will you have to try to figure things out through all of the noise, screaming, and maybe even the sight of some of your friends falling dead and wounded around you?

Do you have the skills necessary for evading your attackers, avoiding or otherwise protecting yourself from incoming gunfire, a flailing knife blade, club or other weapon? Or, will you shrink and cower in fear, hoping that your pleas for mercy will be heeded by a crazy lunatic who only plans to kill himself when he's finished with everyone else?

I know how gruesome this sounds but, this is my job. My job is to be very clear about - to be willing to see, understand, and respond to the very things that most people don't want to even think about.

If you're like most managers and employees in the business world, your company has a workplace violence plan that is a shell - a "standardized" policy - which includes a statement of "zero-tolerance," a "banned-weapons" list, and a set of reporting procedures and punitive policies. Your company might even have gone so far as to have included training sessions on topics like interpersonal-communications, reporting abusive, harassing, or threatening actions, etc. Unfortunately, you might even work for a company who doesn't even have that much.

My job, and YOURS, is to make sure that you can survive when that policy fails. When, in the reality of the moment, your company's workplace violence policy is seen for what it really is:

A lot of ink on a stack of paper.

But, unless you've taken matters into your own hands already. Unless you're a black belt martial artist, former police or military professional, or been training in self-defense for a while, you're still not prepared to deal with the operative word in workplace violence. And that word is:

"VIOLENCE!"

The very random nature of violence means that you never know WHEN, HOW, or WHY violence will strike. Even highly paid, highly trained experts can't tell you that. And, if an assailant really wants to unleash hell where you happen to be, no amount of security, deterrence, or written policy is going to stop the act from occurring.

And, while the prevention and deterrence training taught by 98% of the workplace violence consultants out there is necessary and a good starting point. The only think that will allow you to actually survive a catastrophic workplace violence assault on your facility - on YOU... is a plan and the necessary training in the skills that work.

Once you have that training, you'll know what to say when someone asks you, "what would you, should you, or could you do?"

I know that the first thing to get cut during these stressful times is your company's training budget. I also know that the first thing to go up during these scary times is the level of anger, stress, and hostility. As we've seen just in the past few months, the amount of violence, and the number of catastrophic workplace violence attacks can't be ignored. They've also shown that no business, no facility, and no job is immune - regardless of where you are in the world.

If you'd like more information about getting the training you need to surviving an explosive incident in your business, call our international office in the US at (570) 988-2228.

Also, don't forget to download your free report, "Attack-Proof Your Facility", which is available on the main website at www.wcinternational.com

WCI Consulting News Release:Workplace Violence Expert Gets Thumbs-Up From DC Agency

Here's the latest news from WCI Consulting. We've come to the attention of Washington!

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Sunbury, Pa -- April. 6th, 2009 -- Jeffrey M. Miller, founder and CEO of Warrior Concepts International, Inc in Sunbury was recently highlighted by the Public Entity Risk Institute, or P.E.R.I., as a recommended resource on workplace violence training. Miller said that he was contacted recently by Mary Stewart, PERI's director of research and development to get his approval for adding slides about his company to a presentation that she was preparing. Stewart told Miller that she was delivering a presentation to the Pennsylvania State Association of Borough and Township Managers (PSAB) and wanted to be able to refer Miller's agency as a preferred resource.

P.E.R.I consults with government agencies, schools, and small businesses on different elements of risk management. However, according to Ms. Stewart, the agency's role is typically one of an advisory capacity. PERI researches and locates experts in particular fields that meet or exceed their standards and motivate client groups to use these experts to get the training and resources that the group has identified as problem areas. She said that Miller's company, WCI Consulting, a division of Warrior Concepts International, Inc., provided a service and training that was sorely missing in the field. Where most consultants are focusing on prevention, reporting, and helping clients to understand "why" it happens, Miller focuses primarily on teaching a company's employees and management how to survive an actual violent attack.

As a part of her presentation to the State Association, which was held in Hershey, Pennsylvania on March 24th, Stewart focused on the increased problems of violence in the workplace and in schools. During her research, she found Miller's web site, wcinternational.com, focused exclusively on workplace violence incident prevention and survival, and chose him because of his unique approach. According to both PERI and Miller, there is a tremendous need for employee training that involves not only being able to avoid and escape from a violent situation, but also in the neglected areas of attack evasion and self-defense.

"In spite of the increased occurrences of workplace and school violence over the past decade, including the dramatic increase in the number of incidents as we've entered these troubled economic times," says Miller, over 90% of companies, schools, and healthcare facilities still are without a workplace violence plan as part of their risk and crisis management systems." He also says that, even those who do have a plan, only have passive systems in place such as "zero tolerance" policies, banned weapons lists, and administrative procedures like reporting and disciplinary action. "Most policies," adds Miller, "are missing the procedures, policies, and employee training that would make the plan complete." These plans do little or nothing to prepare employees, managers, or others within the facility to handle the operative word the plan is supposed to address - "violence."

Miller points out that, the incidents that we've become aware of, everyone's worst nightmares, are perpetrated by people who just don't care. He says, "they don't care about your "zero-tolerance," or whether they're allowed to have the weapon." "And," he says, "in light of the fact that this person is probably going to end their own life before the situation is resolved, they certainly don't care about what you'll do to them afterwards."

For more information about PERI, visit their web site at http://www.riskinstitute.org. For additional information about training programs, creating a complete workplace violence plan designed to make your facility virtually attack-proof, or upcoming presentations for managers, business owners and administrators, contact Jeffrey Miller, c/o Warrior Concepts International, Inc.. He may be reached by calling (570) 988-2228, or you may use the contact form at http://www.wcinternational.com

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Remember, if I can be of any assistance in helping you to make your company attack-proof against the threat of a violent workplace violence attack, don't hesitate to call me at my international office in the US at (570) 988-2228, or email me at warriorc@warrior-concepts-online.com

Get your free copy of my safety DVD, "Danger Prevention Tactics: Protecting Yourself Like a Pro!" by going to www.wcinternational.com

Violence in the Workplace:The Number One Myth About Workplace Violence in the Business World Today

By Jeffrey M. Miller, SPS
Workplace Violence Consultant and Trainer
Founder & Director
Warrior Concepts Int'l, Inc
WCI Consulting Div.

Every day, businesses in every sector, in every city and town, and in every industry are being blinded by a myth so devastating that, when the myth is shattered, the wake-up-call is more than many can bear. I'm talking about the realm of workplace violence, but the myth isn't that violence in the workplace exists. No. This article sheds light on the life-threatening myth that, if not dealt with, can leave a business, it's assets, and it's people literally beaten, broken, or dead.

In light of the tragedies taking place in record number and increasing in both occurrences and severity over the past decade, 99% of businesses still do not have a workplace violence action plan as part of their risk management, crisis management, or employee training systems. And, unfortunately, only a small percentage of those who do have a plan, do not have a complete workplace violence training system for their employees as a part of it.

But, in this article I'm not talking about what "is" true about how most companies deal with workplace violence. I'm not even going to talk about what you need in order to prevent, defend against, or survive an incident of violence in the workplace. And the reason I'm not going to talk about these things is simply this: These things do not matter as long as those responsible for establishing, creating, and implementing these systems and programs are blinded or deceived by the myth that is at the root of the problem - the myth that, when it's finally destroyed, most often leaves businesses, property, and lives destroyed along with it.

What is this myth?

It's the same myth or false idea that most people buy into that prevents them from providing better security, safety, and self-defense measures for themselves and their loved-ones every day. It's the same myth that practically every victim has in common with every other, regardless of how they were attacked, tricked, manipulated, deceived, or hurt.

What is it?

What is the number one myth in the business world that puts every single business and those who work or visit there at risk for potentially losing their lives in a workplace violence tragedy? First, let me tell you what it isn't.

While the following are certainly common myths and misinformation being perpetuated about violence in the workplace - and not just in the US, but in every country around the world - none of these is the myth believed or acted upon universally by most business owners, managers, or administrators. If you guessed that...

• workplace violence doesn't occur that often
  
  
• it's a "man thing" so women don't have to worry about it
  
  
• security guards, alarms, and other systems will stop violence in the workplace
  
  
• attackers "just snap" so there's nothing you can do
  
  
• it only happens in the United States
  
  
• teaching employees how to protect and defend themselves will cause more violence
  
  
• zero-tolerance statements, banned weapons lists, and threats of disciplinary action will stop attackers, or that...
  
  
• ..certain occupations, industries, and businesses are immune...

...sorry but, you'd be wrong.

It's not that these beliefs aren't among the causes of businesses, schools, and medical facilities going unprotected and unprepared. It's just that none of them is at the top of the list.

No, regardless of whether or not your business has a workplace violence plan and training system, I would be willing to bet my children's' college fund that the people responsible for this area of your business are in some way affected by the myth that I'm talking about. And, once you know what it is, you'll be able to see many of the flaws or omissions that I do when I review them.

So, what IS the number one myth regarding violence in the workplace?

It's simply this:

"It won't happen here."

As I said, even if you do have one, most plans or policies stop at the creation and implementation stages. Everyone knows there's a plan so they feel safe. As safe as someone who's been threatened or beaten and obtains a PFA, or "protection from abuse" order, from the court.

The protection is an illusion. It amounts to nothing more than a person in authority issuing an "order" that is supposed to stop someone from hurting someone else because...

...they were told to.

As for the document itself? It can do absolutely nothing to stop a fist, knife, gun, or explosive device in the hands of an enraged attacker, who may have a death-wish themselves, from hurting or killing the intended victim or victims. And a workplace violence policy loaded with zero tolerance statements, banned weapons lists, reporting procedures, disciplinary policies, or even rules for employee conduct and interaction, is no different.

Regardless of whether someone takes karate or self-defense classes or not, just as whether or not your business has a workplace violence plan or not, does not mean that the actions you take every day is consistent with the knowledge, belief, and recognition that you are at risk and that an incident could occur at any time.

I don't just believe this to be true. I know it to be true.

Even if you have a plan or policy to supposedly protect you and your people from a violent attacker, I know that either that plan is missing the necessary physical training to keep you alive and allow you to survive a serious threat or, your employee training schedule has little to no time for actually teaching your people what to do, or refreshing their memories so that they can respond appropriately and reduce the amount of damage that could occur.

Remember, your policies and procedures are merely words on paper or electronic documents until you actually take action and put them to use. Don't be blind-sided like the victims of the recent attacks who, up until the moment they heard gunfire or died from it, believed the most lethal myth of all: that it would never happen to them!

If you're a business owner, executive, manager, or facility or department administrator looking for solid, proven, and reliable information for preventing and surviving workplace violence, get the Workplace Violence Awareness Guide and stop taking risks with your life and the lives of those you're responsible for!

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If you're serious about making sure your company is as safe as possible against the effects of workplace violence, you are invited to call WCI Consulting's international office in the US at (570) 988-2228 to schedule an initial telephone assessment.

Jeffrey M. Miller is a former federal police officer, undercover investigator, private detective, and bodyguard. For the past 23 years, he has been teaching individuals, groups, organizations, and law enforcement and security personnel the critical, proven, and time-tested lessons for surviving a dangerous, real-world attack. Jeff is the founder of Warrior Concepts International, Inc., and the author of the safety DVD: Danger Prevention Tactics: Protecting Yourself Like a Pro" For more information and to take action before your company becomes a statistic, go now to: http://www.wcinternational.com

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Get a free copy* of my safety DVD: "Danger Prevention Tactics: Protecting Yourself Like a Pro!" *Just pay shipping and handling so I can get it to your door. After you review your trial copy, you can order a copy for each and every employee at up to 90% off the regular price. Go to wcinternational.com to get your company's free trial copy.