1. Workplace Violence
Domestic Violence

2. Workplace Violence
Definition
Workplace Violence: Any physical assault,
threatening behavior or verbal abuse in the work
setting.
A workplace may be any location, either
permanent or temporary, where an employee
performs any work-related duty.

3. N.Y.S. Labor Law Article 2, Section 27-b
Duty of public employer to develop and implement
programs to prevent workplace violence.
1. Purpose of this section is to ensure that the risk
of workplace assaults and homicides is evaluated
by affected public employees and that such
employers design and implement workplace
violence protection programs to prevent and
minimize the hazards of workplace violence to
public employees.

4. Policy Statement
SUNY New Paltz will actively work to prevent and eliminate
violence, threatening behavior, and harassment on
campus. The college will respond promptly and decisively
to violence, threatening behavior and harassment on
campus. This response may include disciplinary action as
specified in the appropriate collective bargaining
agreements and NY Public Officers Law. The College’s
response may also include removal of third party vendors
from campus and/or termination of contracts with such
vendors.

5. Employee responsibilities
• Ensure familiarity with College policies and
procedures relating to workplace violence
prevention
• Follow all policies and procedures
• Report incidents and new risks quickly

6. Employer responsibilities
• Assess risks of workplace violence
• Provide general training on WPVP to all
employees
• Monitor and document progress and incidents
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the program

7. Risk factors
• Working late night or early morning hours
• Exchanging money with the public
• Working alone or in small numbers
• Uncontrolled access to the workplace
• Areas of previous security problems

8. Practical tips on staying safe at work
Working late/early/alone or in small numbers
• Move car closer to building after hours
• Keep emergency numbers handy
• Lock office door when alone
• Tell someone where you are
• Keep cell phone charged, on and handy
• Use the buddy system
• Lock car door when leaving
• Have car key ready
• Park under lights

9. Handling money
• Barrier between you and the customers
• Do not leave money visible to customers
• Do not keep large amounts on hand

10. Practical tips on staying safe at work
• Safety outside
• Be aware – pay attention to surroundings
• Walk confidently
• Conceal valuables

11. Possible signs of distress
• Direct or suggestive threats of harm
• Intimidating, belligerent, or other inappropriate or
aggressive behavior
• Numerous conflicts with supervisors and other
employees
• Bringing a weapon to the workplace, brandishing a
weapon in the workplace, making inappropriate
references to guns, or fascination with weapons

12. Possible signs of distress, cont’d.
• Statements indicating desperation (over family,
financial, and other personal problems) to the
point of contemplating suicide
• Drug/alcohol abuse
• Extreme changes in behavior

13. Signs of crisis
• Hostility, aggression, violence
• Garbled or slurred speech
• Loss of contact with reality
• Suicidal thoughts with plans or methods
• Homicidal thoughts
Call University Police 257-2222 or 911

14. Reducing the risks
If threatened, call University police 257-2222 (use
blue light phone) or 911
 Seek backup from a colleague
 Refer students to Student Counseling Service
 Report incidents with students to Dean of
Student Affairs
 Report concerns to supervisor, HR, EAP
 Practice good active listening skills
 Behave in a calm, friendly, helpful manner

15. Defusing a threatening situation
• Stay calm
• Communicate respect
• Listen to understand
• Cooperate
• Aim for a plan
• Look after yourself

16. Please click play to view the video.Video

17. How to respond when an active
shooter is in your vicinity

18. How to respond when law
enforcement arrives on the scene

19. Recognizing signs of potential
workplace violence

20. • Bullying is when groups or individuals
repeatedly engage in unreasonable actions with
the intention to intimidate.
• May involve abuse or misuse of power
• Includes intimidation, degradation, and
humiliation
• May be covert and/or overt
• May harm the health of both employees and the
organization
Bullying

21. • Threatening an individual’s work status
• Making inappropriate references to age and gender
and spreading untrue accusations
• Withholding important information and taking credit
for work
• Establishing impossible deadlines, quantity of work,
and exerting undue pressure
• Setting the individual up to fail, demeaning his/her
work publicly, and/or continually bringing up past
mistakes
Examples of Possible Bullying

22. • Supervisor has reasonable grounds to deny a
promotion, to take disciplinary action, or to
terminate an employee based on reasonable
organizational policies
• Different from simple aggression or having a
“tough” supervisor
• Different from harassment
• Bullying is not necessarily illegal
What Is Not Bullying

23. • Creates unnecessary stress
• Reduces self-esteem
• Depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts
• Physical symptoms such as digestive and muscular
disorders, elevated blood pressure, disrupted sleep,
or suppressed immune system
How Bullying Affects Employees

24. • Lower productivity
• Increased frequencies of grievances,
resignations, and transfer requests
• Increase in absenteeism
• Decrease in morale
• Stifles creativity and ability to respond to change
How Bullying Affects Organizations

25. Questions?

26. Domestic Violence

27. The Law
October 2007 Governor David Paterson signed
into law Executive Law #19. This order required
that all NY State agencies issue a Domestic
Violence in the Workplace Policy, so that state
agencies could work with their employees who
were victimized to help them stay safe and
employed. This law is overseen by the Office for
the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV).

28. Domestic Violence
Definition
Domestic Violence: A pattern of coercive tactics,
which can include physical, psychological, sexual,
economic and emotional abuse, perpetrated by
one person against an adult intimate partner, with
the goal of establishing and maintaining power and
control over the victim.

29. Domestic Violence – who is affected?
Domestic violence happens between intimate partners
who:
• Are married or were once married
• Are living together or have lived together in the past
• Have children together
• Are dating or have dated in the past
Domestic violence victims are usually women, but men can
also be victims. It may happen in same-sex and opposite-
sex relationships

30. Important Facts You Should Know:
• A 2005 national survey found that 21% of full-time
employed adults were victims of domestic violence.1
• Domestic violence victims lose nearly 8 million days of
paid work annually – the equivalent of more than 32,000
full-time jobs – as a result of domestic violence.2
• Thirty-seven percent of women who experienced
domestic violence reported that the abuse had an impact
on their work in the form of lateness, missed work,
keeping a job, or career promotions.3

31. Signs of domestic violence
• Visible injuries
• Illnesses – especially stress-related ones
• Problems related to other issues, e.g. family, alcohol,
drugs, mental health issues
• Poor work performance or employment history
• On-the-job harassment by the abuser
The only way to know is to ask. Try:
“Is anything happening at home that is causing difficulties?”
But be prepared to respond helpfully

32. Policy Statement
SUNY New Paltz, to the fullest extent possible
without violating any existing rules, regulations,
statutory requirements, contractual obligations or
collective bargaining agreements, will take all
appropriate actions to promote safety in the work-
place and respond effectively to the needs of victims
of domestic violence.

33. Personnel Policies
Employees will be subject to disciplinary actions and
referral to appropriate authorities if they:
• Use College resources or time to abuse an intimate
partner
• Commit an act of domestic violence from or at the
workplace or from any location while on state business
• Use their job-related authority to abuse their victim, or
assist perpetrators of domestic violence in locating a
victim or in perpetrating an act of domestic violence

34. Where to get help
Local agencies
Office of Human Resources
EAP coordinators
NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic
Violence (OPDV)

35. Employer Responsibilities
Agency shall inform employees that New
York State law prohibits insurance
companies and health maintenance
organizations from discriminating against
domestic violence victims.

36. Employer Responsibilities, cont’d.
Referrals shall be made to domestic violence
programs located on the OPDV website at
http://www.opdv.state.ny.us/help/fss/resource.html.
Additional referrals may be made to best meet the
needs of the employee.
Agency shall include information on domestic
violence awareness and services in written
materials provided to new employees and as part of
new employee orientation.
http://www.opdv.state.ny.us/help/fss/resource.html.

37. Employer Responsibilities, cont’d.
The College will take appropriate consideration of domestic
violence in all aspects of a victim’s work situation, including:
• Requests for leave, FMLA and sick leave
• Appointment to a position
• Transfers/Promotions
• Disciplinary cases
• Location of work site
• Allocation of duties and responsibilities
• Termination or voluntary separation
• Workplace violence prevention measures
• Confidentiality of employee information
• Access to benefits

38. Questions?

39. Test your knowledge
Quiz
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