Aggression and violence

Aggression and violence occur when a person is psychologically or physically harassed, threatened or attacked. The manifestations of aggression and violence can be different:

• verbal (name-calling, insulting, sending hostile messages, threats)
• psychological (harassing, pressuring, intimidating, threatening and irritating)
• physical (threatening posture, kicking, hitting, biting, grabbing)

There are three types of aggression:

• aggression as an expression of anger or rage (frustration aggression)
• instrumental aggression
• pathological agression

The Working Conditions Act contains regulations to guarantee safety, to protect health and to promote the well-being of employees. In summary, the manager must ensure a safe and pleasant working environment. This goes beyond just protecting an individual employee in such cases. The manager must take active and preventive measures to protect employees against aggression and violence and to tackle both. This also includes employees such as cleaners, interns and temporary workers.

• talk to the perpetrator about his behavior
• make concrete agreements about improving behavior, record them, have them signed and evaluate the agreements
• point out the consequences of the perpetrator and record them
• use the annual appraisal to address aggression and violence
• record things in the personnel file
• if necessary, contact the company doctor, P&O, company social work
• if necessary, take disciplinary action in consultation with P&O and/or the legal department

How do you deal with a complaint from someone in your team about a colleague:

• realize that the reporter has taken a big hurdle and take him seriously
• ask what the reporter wants with the complaint
• ask for the facts and don't rely on emotions
• Don't take sides
• focus on the behavior
• gather information quickly
• ask the reporter to provide a (written) report of situations that occur with word use, time, location and concrete descriptions
• speak to both parties separately and, if necessary, to both parties at the same time
• disapprove of the aggressive behavior and indicate how you want the manners in the workplace to be and continue as under 'You observe aggression'

• realize that you have an exemplary role and act accordingly
• publish the policy on transgressive behaviour in your department
• during annual appraisals, ask about the experience of the working atmosphere as a fixed part
• be alert to the working atmosphere and regularly gauge how employees experience it
• be alert to (short-term) absenteeism
• ask about the prevention of aggression in the RI&E and include control measures in the PoA
• ask about the employee satisfaction survey