safety and agency responsibity

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Safety and Agency Responsibility

Safety and Agency Responsibility

Introduction:

Human service organizations often aim to ensure the safety of everyone in society. Social workers operating in different human service agencies play a vital role in stabilizing people's lives through various approaches. While there are many advantages to working in social service environments, mistreatment of staffers and clients may interfere with effective service delivery. Workplace violence has been denoted by different constructs that include workplace bullying, harassment, "mobbing," "social undermining," "incivility," and "abusive supervision" (Shier, 2018). These constructs comprise physical, psychological, psychosocial, sexual, and nonsexual behaviors.

Besides, the influence of organizational culture on team dynamics and supervisory interactions is another challenge leading to workplace violence. For instance, organizational culture has been found to contribute to worker perceptions of health and well-being (Turpin et al., 2016). Developing positive workplace interactions among workers in the human services workplace is central to supporting improved well-being and work functioning. Social work organizations must be ready to react to workplace violence promptly and efficiently and deal with lasting impacts, such as trauma. It will be safer for both clients and staff if everyone is ready to react in an emergency. Thus, having a strategy in place before an emergency occurs will enable a leader to take control and assist in establishing a calm and secure workplace.

How to Address Traumatic Emergency Situations:

In most workplaces where risk indicators are recognizable, the danger of assault can be avoided or reduced if employers take the necessary precautions. Rightyme behavior center, where I worked some years back, is a behavioral center focusing on Psychiatric rehabilitation and providing resources to their clients. Like other social organizations, the agency is also at threat of workplace violence, making it necessary for leaders to act proactively to reduce workplace violence. For example, bullying can lead to workplace violence and traumatic events.

Research proves that bullying has been shown to affect social service workers more than the general population.

Turpin et al. (2016) claimed that bullying could lead to severe social and mental stress, including emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and depression, while influencing work outcomes such as job satisfaction. Building group harmony by promoting cohesiveness, psychological safety, and conflict avoidance can reverse this relationship by increasing knowledge sharing among members and reducing task conflict. Establishing institutional violence-prevention policies and fostering pro-social relationships within the workplace is a team violence-prevention measure (Turnip et al., 2016). A highly socialized process; as such, interventions to improve health and safety at this level must consider how safety is enacted via cognitive, normative, and inter as well as intra-personal means.

Effective communication style training had an effect on team cohesion and job satisfaction. Also, building trust, identifying and clarifying roles, engaging staff in decision-making, role modeling positive interactions, and holding each other accountable all improved group cohesion. A well-crafted and successfully implemented workplace violence prevention program can reduce the possibility and impact of violence. Leaders should establish an emergency action plan to ensure the safety of both clients and employees. Such strategies require all employees to complete training on best workplace conduct to promote workplace safety and protect staff from potential workplace violence (Zelnick et al., 2013, p. 10). The training should also cover risk factors, documentation of potential changes in client behaviors, identification of attack precursors, dealing with aggressive clients or relatives, self-defense techniques, and strategies for protecting oneself and colleagues.

Addressing Long-term Effects:

When people are exposed to traumatic situations at work, they may suffer long-term impacts. Violence frequently leaves victims with psychological distress. Offering free sessions of mental health services is one strategy to assist clients and employees in overcoming their long-term consequences. Another crucial step leaders can take to address the long-term effects of workplace violence is to encourage a sense of normalcy and return-to-work schedules and routines. Normality gradually becomes apparent. The more horrific and dramatic the occurrence, the more likely people will be emotionally affected, and these memories will gradually fade. To prevent mental distress or impairment, employers should ensure that the affected individuals receive adequate medical attention and that those in distress have someone watching for them.

Safety Concern of Mental Health Professionals:

While it may be impossible to predict emergency cases, it is crucial always to be ready for various situations in a workplace environment. The prospect of poor safe care is one of the main worries regarding mental health professionals' safety in human services agencies, which could result in depression, anxiety, poor quality of life, and stress among the team. In most cases, mental health professionals concentrate more on caring for their clients and overlook matters of personal well-being. Such employees often suffer adverse effects when exposed to workplace violence. According to Zelnick et al., 2013, in mental hospitals, over 25 percent of incidents of workplace violence against employees go unreported. Therefore, most mental health professionals suffer in silence; this potentially impacts their physical and mental well-being.

Therefore, leaders should advocate for the mental healthcare team to participate in employee assistance programs actively. EAPs can assist staff with personal issues that have an impact on their work performance. EAPs comprise individual assessments, treatment procedures, and counseling sessions to improve health and wellness. As a result, it assists in addressing various financial, social, and health challenges facing employees (SAMHSA, 2022). It is also essential for the team to go through discussions and one-on-one conversations.

Conclusion:

Workplace violence is among the leading challenges affecting employees in human service agencies. Social work organizations must be ready to react to workplace violence and deal with any lasting impacts, such as trauma, in a timely and efficient manner through actions such as ensuring everyone's safety in the workplace. Team leaders should encourage employees to voice their concerns to receive adequate treatment and counseling. Victims should be free to grieve and heal from workplace violence to prevent psychological distress.

References:

Shier, M. L., Nicholas, D. B., Graham, J. R., & Young, A. (2018). Preventing Workplace Violence in Human Services Workplaces: Organizational Dynamics to Support Positive Interpersonal Interactions Among Colleagues. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 42(1), 4–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/23303131.2017.1363842

SAMHSA. (2022). (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.samhsa.gov/about-us

TURPIN A, SHIER ML, NICHOLAS DB, GRAHAM JR. Workplace Violence in Human Service Organizations: A Qualitative Inquiry of Team-Level Dynamics. Journal of Health & Human Services Administration. 2019;42(3):259-304. Accessed October 16, 2022. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=a9h&AN=142243264&site=eds-live&scope=site

Zelnick, J. R., Slayter, E., Flanzbaum, B., Butler, N. G., Domingo, B., Perlstein, J., & Trust, C. (2013). Part of the job? Workplace violence in Massachusetts social service agencies. Health & social work, 38(2), 75-85.