Felix Nater of Nater Solutions, Ltd., has seen firsthand how workplace violence as well as spillover from domestic violence situations can compromise the workplace. From a financial standpoint, workplace violence costs US companies $8.3 billion per year.

In addition to the financial losses, workplace violence halts productivity, harms morale, and can ultimately lead to injury and death.

With a plan in place, though, work can be a much safer place, emotionally and physically.

Felix works with manufacturing, processing and production firms, and other organizations to provide for safe/nonviolent workplaces through the application of holistic violence interdiction strategies.

Felix and his team have developed a research-based approach to helping people understand the warning signs that a problem has been developing and address it early on.

This #WorkTrends chat explained how to create a culture of non-violence that promotes safety and awareness. We cleared up common misunderstandings and learned about human resources’ role in responding to the potential for workplace threats.

Felix reminded all of us that in our single-minded focus to get our work done and tasks checked off the list, we may be overlooking the essential work of being available for employees who may need to advise us that they are in a dangerous situation. “Leave the victim feeling that someone cares, not that you were too busy to listen,” he advised.

I think guest host Mark Babbitt speaks for most everyone participating when he says this #WorkTrends was a true eye opener, one that equipped everyone participating to approach their workplaces differently and insist on creating a plan backed up by a culture of trust.

Here are a few key points Felix shared:

• Companies that fail to act proactively may expose themselves to civil liability
• The workplace culture is absolutely critical to preventing spillover effects of domestic violence and workplace violence in general
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration provides many free resources for training on workplace violence prevention
• Workplace violence affects small, medium, and large organizations

Did you miss the show? You can listen to the #WorkTrends podcast on our BlogTalk Radio channel here: http://bit.ly/2kJ3j2g

You can also check out the highlights of the conversation from our Storify here:

Didn’t make it to this week’s #WorkTrends show? Don’t worry, you can tune in and participate in the podcast and chat with us every Wednesday from 1-2pm ET (10-11am PT).

Remember, the TalentCulture #WorkTrends conversation continues every day across several social media channels. Stay up-to-date by following our #WorkTrends Twitter stream; pop into our LinkedIn group to interact with other members. Engage with us any time on our social networks, or stay current with trending World of Work topics on our website or through our weekly email newsletter.

Photo Credit: christopherhopkins96@yahoo.in Flickr via Compfight cc