Report details advice to reduce conflict in the workplace

A leading UK recruitment and specialist training provider has published a report offering advice to employers on the issue of workplace conflict.

The Lawrence Allison report, 'Practical Assistance for Employers' provides information for employers seeking to provide a safe and healthful working environment through effective violence prevention programmes.

The report states that as workplace violence continues to rise and incidents become more regular and more violent, conflict in the workplace has become a serious issue for both the employee and the employer.

The report covers a wide range of topics from risk assessment, and conflict recognition and prevention, to strategy development, programme implementation/delivery, and monitoring and evaluation.

Paul Strong, Managing Director, Lawrence Allison Group, said: "Workplace conflict can impact upon organisations in a variety of ways. Apart from the obvious concern about physical injury to staff, less evident effects can occur, such as low employee moral and absenteeism which impacts on productivity and ultimately the reputation of the organisation.

"Liability is also becoming an increasing issue for employers, with the apparent growing trend to seek litigation against organisations for failure to provide safe working environments and practices."

The report concluded: "No employee is immune from workplace violence, indeed the survey suggests a potential for some 500,000 instances of verbal abuse; 80,000 threats of physical assault; 2,700 instances of assault with a weapon, occurring each year and no employer can totally prevent it. The cost to an organisation can be staggering, as a single incident can have huge repercussions."

(AMcE)