Australian Federal and State legislation states unlawful discrimination occurs when a group of people, individuals are treated less favourably than any other person or group of people because of their ethnicity, race, colour, sex, marital status, age or disability, religion and sexual reference, whether your a member of a trade union and any other characteristic specified under anti-discrimination or human rights legislation.

Workplace discrimination and harassment can occur in:
·    Employment and selection of staff.
·    Training and type of training being offered.
·    Being considered for a transfer, promotion or sacking.
·    Work place conditions.

What is defined as unlawful harassment?
Under Australian state and federal legislation unlawful harassment can occur when a person humiliated because of their race, or intimidated and insulted because of there colour, ethnicity, or any other specified characteristic under anti-discrimination or human rights legislation.

Workplace harassment can include behaviour such as:
·    Mailing or submitting sexually explicit or suggestive letters, notes or emails.
·    The making of derogatory taunts or comments about a persons religion or race. telling insulting The making of jokes about particular racial groups.
·    Nude or pornographic posters displayed.
·    The asking of questions about a persons sex life or personal life.

The nature of harassment and or discrimination.
No matter the seriousness of an incident, whether it be a one-off or prolonged and long termed, it will still be judged as harassment or discrimination. If left unchecked the continued harassment will erode the drive and ability of the individual or group to eventually effect the overall performance of their work performance.

However the absence of any formal or verbal complaints is not necessarily any indication that harassment or discrimination is not occurring. In a lot of cases the person or group being harassed or discriminated against will not complain or report the incident in the belief that they will be deemed as wingers or the incident is too trivial. In most cases the victim of the workplace harassment or discrimination is lacking confidence in their own ability and has fear of retribution or even worse, being dismissed.

Hostile working environment
As an employer you will also need to be aware of your responsibilities in making the work environment a safe place from a culture of sexual or racial harassment. Both are deemed as HOSTILE. An example of a potential hostile working environment would include the display of nude or pornographic material, swearing and crude conversations, racially or sex specific jokes.

What can not be classed as  harassment or discrimination.
However it must be remembered that comments and advice given by supervisors, work colleagues and managers on the work performance or work related behaviour of an individual or group should not be confused with workplace harassment or discrimination.
Feedback during normal performance appraisals and work performance meetings will always be deemed as stressful and will in some cases effect the well being of the person or group being appraised. However, managers and supervisors should always keep these concerns in mind and perform any necessary appraisal with sensitivity without avoiding the need to provide full and frank feedback to their staff.

What is workplace bullying?
Sourced the  from ACTUQ/QCCI/Qld Govt Dept of Workplace Health and Safety , they claim that workplace bullying is “the repeated less favourable treatment of a person by another or others in the workplace, which may be considered unreasonable and inappropriate workplace practice. It includes behaviour that intimidates, offends, degrades or humiliates a worker”.

Bullies will use their status or power of position in a company or business to target both men and women with their bullying practices. Bullying behaviour can range from obvious verbal or physical assault to very subtle psychological abuse.

This behaviour would include:
·    Psychological harassment. (mind games)
·    Excluding or isolating targeted employees.
·    Assigning impossible tasks or jobs to targeted employees.
·    Physical or verbal abuse.
·    Inconvenience selected employees by deliberately changed work rosters and shifts.
·    Yell and scream offensive language.
·    Intimidation
·    Undermine work performance deliberately by withholding vital job information.

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Australian Federal and State legislation states unlawful discrimination occurs when a group of people, individuals are treated less favourably than any other person or group of people because of their ethnicity, race, colour, sex, marital status, age or disability, religion and sexual reference, whether your a member of a trade union and any other characteristic specified under anti-discrimination or human rights legislation.

Workplace discrimination and harassment can occur in:

· Employment and selection of staff.
· Training and type of training being offered.
· Being considered for a transfer, promotion or sacking.
· Work place conditions.

What is defined as unlawful harassment?

Under Australian state and federal legislation unlawful harassment can occur when a person humiliated because of their race, or intimidated and insulted because of there colour, ethnicity, or any other specified characteristic under anti-discrimination or human rights legislation.

Workplace harassment can include behaviour such as:

· Mailing or submitting sexually explicit or suggestive letters, notes or emails.
· The making of derogatory taunts or comments about a persons religion or race. telling insulting The making of jokes about particular racial groups.
· Nude or pornographic posters displayed.
· The asking of questions about a persons sex life or personal life.

The nature of harassment and or discrimination.

No matter the seriousness of an incident, whether it be a one-off or prolonged and long termed, it will still be judged as harassment or discrimination. If left unchecked the continued harassment will erode the drive and ability of the individual or group to eventually effect the overall performance of their work performance.

However the absence of any formal or verbal complaints is not necessarily any indication that harassment or discrimination is not occurring. In a lot of cases the person or group being harassed or discriminated against will not complain or report the incident in the belief that they will be deemed as wingers or the incident is too trivial. In most cases the victim of the workplace harassment or discrimination is lacking confidence in their own ability and has fear of retribution or even worse, being dismissed.

Hostile working environment

As an employer you will also need to be aware of your responsibilities in making the work environment a safe place from a culture of sexual or racial harassment. Both are deemed as HOSTILE. An example of a potential hostile working environment would include the display of nude or pornographic material, swearing and crude conversations, racially or sex specific jokes.

What can not be classed as harassment or discrimination.

However it must be remembered that comments and advice given by supervisors, work colleagues and managers on the work performance or work related behaviour of an individual or group should not be confused with workplace harassment or discrimination.

Feedback during normal performance appraisals and work performance meetings will always be deemed as stressful and will in some cases effect the well being of the person or group being appraised. However, managers and supervisors should always keep these concerns in mind and perform any necessary appraisal with sensitivity without avoiding the need to provide full and frank feedback to their staff.

What is workplace bullying?

Sourced the from ACTUQ/QCCI/Qld Govt Dept of Workplace Health and Safety , they claim that workplace bullying is “the repeated less favourable treatment of a person by another or others in the workplace, which may be considered unreasonable and inappropriate workplace practice. It includes behaviour that intimidates, offends, degrades or humiliates a worker”.

Bullies will use their status or power of position in a company or business to target both men and women with their bullying practices. Bullying behaviour can range from obvious verbal or physical assault to very subtle psychological abuse.

This behaviour would include:

· Psychological harassment. (mind games)
· Excluding or isolating targeted employees.
· Assigning impossible tasks or jobs to targeted employees.
· Physical or verbal abuse.
· Inconvenience selected employees by deliberately changed work rosters and shifts.
· Yell and scream offensive language.
· Intimidation
· Undermine work performance deliberately by withholding vital job information.

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In the realm of human resources, no other issue poses as much of a threat to the life of your company, not to mention the safety of your employees, as that of workplace violence. In the past several years, one of the primary focuses of conscientious HR managers and CEOs has been toward finding and creating training programs and procedures that will minimize the impact of this threat to both the company and its lifeblood – the employees working for it.

However, contrary to the popular trend among human resource managers and the companies they represent to lean towards programs that focus solely on interpersonal communications and stress-management, your focus should be on expanding your employee training to include programs that teach your people what to do when these passive tactics fail. Ask any expert who knows how to effectively handle danger in its most raw form and they will all tell you…

…only those capable of handling the worst of situations can easily handle lesser problems effectively.

I know how that sounds. It can certainly be argued that non-aggressive people can be taught negotiation, and other such skills in handling and diffusing a potentially violent situation. And…

…I would agree. If…

…we weren’t talking about the concern for the potential on the part of one of the participants, for violence.

As illogical as this sounds, the fear, or ignorance, of the potential for violence can actually cause a situation to escalate faster towards that end.

Do you understand the implication of that statement?

It’s so important that I’ll say it again…

“The fear, or ignorance, of the potential for violence can actually cause a situation to escalate faster towards that end.”

Earlier, when I implied that “non-aggressive people” may actually cause a violent reaction, I was not saying that you should be training your people to be violent, in order to counter violence. In fact, I wasn’t talking about the predisposition towards violence at all.

What I was talking about was aggressiveness in its positive state, as the willingness to take on challenges and risk. The fact is that our modern society, with its politically-correct sensitivities, has produced a significant number of people who think they can reason and “nice” their way through any situation or hardship. These people have never had to deal with really scary situations – like an attacker throwing raw, unadulterated, hatred and violence in your direction. So, by the time they realize that they can’t reason with an employee with say a passive-aggressive personality disorder, or a hostile customer, it will be too late.

Not to mention the fact that the target of the violence will be totally unprepared at that point because they have never learned how to effectively handle violence. And THAT is the point. Your employees don’t have to be violent people to know how to effectively deal with violence.

So, unless part of the prerequisites for employment into any position in your company includes requiring that people are already trained in karate or some other form of self-defense, the likelihood is that the majority of your employee base – yourself included – will find themselves on the “victim” section of the post-incident and police reports.

NOT where anyone wants to be!

By now, my focus and logic should be clear.

Make sure that your workplace violence plan is empowering your employees to do more than talk. Believe it or not, the primary reason that postal centers, schools, and other such buildings are the favored targets for the weak but violent person, is that…

…the attacker will not meet with resistance before doing what they set out to do.

The fact that employees in these businesses cannot carry weapons makes them the perfect targets for those who choose to use them. Think about it. When do these attackers kill themselves?

Right!

When the cops – the guys with the guns – show up.

Looking at this logic from another perspective, how often do you hear of police officers attacking each other?

Right!

Never!

And why is that?

Right, again!

They are all either armed or capable of stopping the violence long before it has a chance to escalate.

You certainly don’t have to arm your employees, and I’m not suggesting that you should. However, adding training to your workplace violence program that at the very minimum teaches your employees how to avoid, evade, and escape from an aggressor who is attacking them with anything from punches and kicks, to guns and knives is not only a good idea, but doing so will likely decrease or eliminate your liability in a post-attack aftermath, as-well-as providing other benefits.

Even training to survive a terrorist attack is not outside the scope of the well-crafted workplace violence plan. The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001 is a prime example of a situation that, to many, “doesn’t happen here.”

And, you know what?

Watching the responses of literally hundreds of people who panicked and chose to jump from windows, run up to the rooftop of a burning building, or simply acquiesce and make “good-bye” phone calls to loved-ones a full half hour or so before the end, to me, was one of the most horrific sights I have ever witnessed.

And all because they had no idea what to do.

Had these people been trained to think under pressure, many more people would have survived the violence and mayhem that day.

Remember, the Enlightened leader sees beyond the obvious. He or she is capable of recognizing potential threats to their goal and takes steps to minimize the damage should the worst happen. And the key here is…

…taking the action that’s required.

This leader also knows that, what sounds illogical when you think about it – intellectually, is often the very thing that will produce greater results than ideas founded on conventional wisdom. And, protecting your business from workplace violence is one such situation. Empowering your employees by teaching them simple, but workable self-defense tactics IS the key to…

Virtually eliminating the possibility of aggression due to superior advantage being in your favor – not the assailant’s
Reducing fear-based stress on employees by empowering them with skills that work
Protecting your company from post-attack lawsuits from employee-victims who were NOT trained to deal with this type of problem

But, you and I both know. It’s your company, your money, and your decision.

And you and your employees must live, or not, with what you decide. Literally!

Does your company have a solid and complete workplace violence training program? Do you and your workers know what to do should the unthinkable happen and you come face-to-face with violence in the workplace? Or are you betting the lives and safety of everyone involved that there isn’t someone right now, inside or outside your company, planning an attack? Get the facts and stop making safety decisions based on denial, apathy, or ignorance. Read my new workplace violence report, “Attack-Proof Your Facility!” It’s available free at: http://www.wcinternational.com

Jeffrey M. Miller is an internationally-recognized self defense expert and workplace violence defensive tactics trainer. Every month, he teaches literally thousands of individuals – alone or as members of groups and companies – how to defend against and survive acts of workplace violence. Mr. Miller is a co-author of the books, “Workplace Violence in the Mental and Healthcare Settings,” (Jones and Bartlett Pub. 2010); and “Using GIS in Hospital Emergency Management,” (CRC Press 2010); as well as several others. He may be reached through his international office in the US at (570) 988-2228.

“I’m afraid that if I add self defense training to my workplace violence training program, I’ll have a bigger problem with violence from my employees!”

This is a common concern from managers, administrators, and business owners that I hear all the time. I can understand where this concern comes from. It comes from the belief that self defense is “fighting.” And yet, nothing could be further from the truth!

Unfortunately, the term “self defense” is as over-used in our society as with other words like “warrior” and “enlighten.” With every karate school, fight club, and mixed martial arts gym advertising that they teach self defense training, it’s easy for you and I to get confused about where to actually find acceptable training in the skills to integrate into our workplace violence training program.

As a way to help you to understand the difference between fighting and actual, real world self defense training, here are 3 critically important skills that should be a part of your workplace violence training program.

1) General & Situational Awareness Skills. Employees and management at all levels should know, not only the generally accepted “warning signs,” but also the most common threats that your facility might be exposed to. Knowing “where” the danger might come from is as important as “what” types of attacks you’ll need to be able to defend yourself against.

2) Escape Tactics. Knowing how to avoid and evade gunfire, as well as other thrown objects as-well-as being able to escape from a hostile area are critical in today’s world. It’s ironic how often I hear arguments against the need for workplace violence defensive tactics training because, “that won’t happen here.” And yet, those same managers have fire escape and emergency plans when they’ve never had, and don’t expect to have to worry about, a fire!

3) De-escalation Tactics. All employees should be trained in verbal and non-verbal communications methods, as well as other strategies that serve to bring a workplace violence situation under control before it becomes physical and people start getting hurt.

As you can see, a well thought-out workplace violence training policy can include self defense training that has nothing to do with teaching your employees how to fight. While it is always recommended that you be able to defend yourself should you be physically attacked, you and your employees don’t have to train to be martial arts black belts or prize fighters!

Action is necessary and, in the case of violence in the workplace, prevention is often not enough! In the moment when an assailant is throwing raw, unadulterated rage and destruction in your direction, you will be left with one of 2 possibilities:

* You will respond to the violence using preplanned and practiced workplace violence defensive tactics that have been made a part of your overall workplace violence policy and procedures, or…
* You will come face to face with the reality behind your denial, excuses, and lack of preparation.

But then, if you were living in denial, you wouldn’t be reading this article right now, would you?

Does your company have a solid and complete workplace violence training program? Do you and your workers know what to do should the unthinkable happen and you come face-to-face with violence in the workplace? Or are you betting the lives and safety of everyone involved that there isn’t someone right now, inside or outside your company, planning an attack? Get the facts and stop making safety decisions based on denial, apathy, or ignorance. Read my new workplace violence report, “Attack-Proof Your Facility!” It’s available free at: http://www.wcinternational.com

Jeffrey M. Miller is an internationally-recognized self defense expert and workplace violence defensive tactics trainer. Every month, he teaches literally thousands of individuals – alone or as members of groups and companies – how to defend against and survive acts of workplace violence. Mr. Miller is a co-author of the books, “Workplace Violence in the Mental and Healthcare Settings,” (Jones and Bartlett Pub. 2010); and “Using GIS in Hospital Emergency Management,” (CRC Press 2010); as well as several others. He may be reached through his international office in the US at (570) 988-2228.

The attitudes regarding the topic of workplace violence seem to be as varied as the forms this type of aggression takes. Opinions range from ignorance and avoidance, where thoughts like, “That kind of thing doesn’t happen here,” are the norm; all the way to the development of plans and procedures for preventing it from happening.

While my predominant focus for my clients is centered around the fact that, by-and-large, most incidents occur where the violence enters from outside the workplace, the fact remains that there are a significant number of attacks perpetrated by employees against their fellow workers. In fact, a recent conversation with my uncle, a senior executive in a large corporation, shows just how workplace violence can be at the forefront of many manager’s minds.

The story my uncle related to me was centered around an employee who has been with his company for over ten years. While the company is just becoming aware of the employee’s tendency toward displaying many of the warning signs, a more thorough investigation has shown that this problem has existed from the very beginning of the man’s employment.

Our conversation, which grew out of the typical family chatter about what everybody has been doing since they last saw each other, started as I was discussing my consulting and corporate training practice. When the topic of workplace violence came up, my uncle’s demeanor changed almost instantly. He then went into a detailed description of what he was dealing with since taking over the department where this individual worked.

In short, the story spoke of an individual who displayed a passive-aggressive, inflexible nature that expected everyone to comply with his wishes. My uncle described a person who routinely became verbally aggressive and confrontational, at times even throwing objects, and who was easily angered when he didn’t get his own way.

It also showed how his previous manager, herself unprepared for dealing with this type of personality and needing to avoid conflict, had a tendency to coddle the individual in an attempt to quell his angry outbursts. We agreed that this patronizing and “mothering” only prolonged the problem, and certainly did nothing to help the employee to either change his tactics or make the decision to seek employment elsewhere. In fact, it helped to reinforce his behavior…

…for more than 10 years!

Human resources, and managers at all levels must be ready, willing, and able to identify and, at the very least, isolate the passive-aggressive employee. Employees with this personality disorder can be a virtual time bomb, just waiting for the right trigger to set them off. When that happens, only that individual’s self-imposed limits will determine just how far he or she will go in unleashing the fury from within.

Every company must insure that its workplace violence plan can identify and handle this type of personality type. But, that’s only the beginning. Due to the possibility of this type of individual becoming physically violent, every employee should be trained to be able to evade, avoid, and escape from the damage that may ensue.

Ironically, rather than self-defense training making employees more hostile, as is often believed by many, it actually has been shown to reduce and even eliminate physical attacks altogether. Since the potentially dangerous worker is surrounded by individuals capable of neutralizing any attempt at physical hostility, he or she tends to seek other means to deal with their issues. Or, they simply change jobs, hoping to find a place where the sheep are easier.

Does your company have a solid and complete workplace violence training program? Do you and your workers know what to do should the unthinkable happen and you come face-to-face with violence in the workplace? Or are you betting the lives and safety of everyone involved that there isn’t someone right now, inside or outside your company, planning an attack? Get the facts and stop making safety decisions based on denial, apathy, or ignorance. Read my new workplace violence report, “Attack-Proof Your Facility!” It’s available free at: http://www.wcinternational.com

Jeffrey M. Miller is an internationally-recognized self defense expert and workplace violence defensive tactics trainer. Every month, he teaches literally thousands of individuals – alone or as members of groups and companies – how to defend against and survive acts of workplace violence. Mr. Miller is a co-author of the books, “Workplace Violence in the Mental and Healthcare Settings,” (Jones and Bartlett Pub. 2010); and “Using GIS in Hospital Emergency Management,” (CRC Press 2010); as well as several others. He may be reached through his international office in the US at (570) 988-2228.