Development workshops address safety, violence on campus

Who would you call if you were concerned about someone’s safety? Do you know what resources are available to handle difficult behaviors in the workplace? What would you do if someone told you about a potentially threatening situation?

The ASU Police and Office of Human Resources (OHR) will answer these and many other important questions during a series of professional development workshops geared to address issues of safety and violence on campus. The workshops are free and will take place in every one of the ASU campuses from April 8 through May 7.

“We are going to be offering 12 seminars that will focus on identifying and reporting potentially threatening behavior,” said Kevin Salcido, interim associate vice president of Human Resources. “While there is no one profile of the type of person who will commit a violent act, there are behaviors that are common to most workplace violence occurrences.”

Violence in the workplace can range from verbal bullying to stalking to intimidation to direct threats of physical harm.
The workshops will feature different issues for employees and supervisors. For example, employees will review topics such as creating a caring and safe work environment, as well as identifying and addressing problems. Supervisors will discuss intervention options, safety planning and creating action plans.

“We are not facing any immediate threats, nor have we seen any increase in violent behavior at ASU.  However, it is obvious that workplace violence on campuses happens all-too-frequently,” Salcido said. “Oftentimes, these episodes occurred because members of the workforce failed to ‘connect the dots’ on a potentially violent person or situation.”

To enroll in one of the sessions, visit www.asu.edu/hr/training/workplaceviolence.html