Your Safety Matters: Workplace Violence Prevention in Healthcare

April 15, 2024

Hi everyone! We hope you had a nice weekend! 

We’re starting this week with a heavier, but necessary article. We ALL deserve to feel safe and comfortable when at work – no, ifs, ands, or buts. 

This is especially true for our healthcare workers. It’s a stressful job, and on top of the pressure, they shouldn’t have to worry about violence or unsafe working conditions.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Workplace violence is especially common in healthcare, disproportionately affecting healthcare workers. For example, workplace violence is FIVE more times as likely to occur in private healthcare practices and social assistance programs than in any other industry sector. 

This is unacceptable. But, hey, here’s a half-glass-full mindset! There’s always a way to change that! We need to create a better workplace for our healthcare employees. 

Today, we’re diving into the best ways to build a culture of safety and compliance in your practice, so your staff feels empowered and safe. 

Leading the Charge

To ensure a team feels safe and secure in the workplace, their leaders must establish a culture of compliance. While we talk about a culture of compliance often, what does that mean? 

From leadership,  means guiding and ensuring the safety of employees, having clear policies in place, providing worthwhile training, and much more. This behavior is not just after an incident, but continuously, cultivating an environment where staff feels safe and supported. 

All employees must feel heard and supported in the workplace, encouraging open communication about their experiences and what can be done to make the workplace even better.

Employees are the heart of any healthcare setting, and their safety is paramount. To empower them to feel secure, clear reporting methods are crucial. This includes offering multiple channels, like a confidential hotline or online portal, to report any situation that raises a red flag. 

But safety isn’t a one-time fix. It’s a continuous journey that requires ongoing commitment from leadership. By incorporating these elements, leadership fosters a culture of compliance where staff feels safe and supported at work, knowing their concerns are heard and acted upon, ultimately creating a safer work environment for everyone.

Violence? Yeah, No, Gotta Go

In part of implementing a culture of compliance, ensure all staff is aware that there is a zero-tolerance policy for violence in the workplace. This policy encompasses all employees, patients, visitors, and in general, anyone who comes into contact with a practice’s employees. This zero-tolerance policy covers everything that goes beyond respectful interactions.

 By establishing a zero-tolerance policy, you protect your employees. By making clear consequences for workplace violence, your staff can focus on what they do best: healing others. 

How Abyde Can Help

Workplace violence in healthcare is unfortunately an epidemic in the field. For instance, 64% of clinicians have felt physically unsafe at work

At Abyde, we believe a strong culture of compliance shouldn’t be a burden. That’s why we offer revolutionary compliance software that simplifies the process for everyone.  With Abyde, all employees become active participants in creating a safe and secure work environment.

By making compliance easier, Abyde empowers your staff with the knowledge and resources they need to be successful. This translates to a more confident and engaged workforce. 

No one deserves to feel unsafe at work, and with Abyde, we’re all taking a step towards a safer, more positive work environment for everyone.

Get started on building a culture of compliance today! Email info@abyde.com and schedule a consultation here