Workplace Violence/Hostility Policy

PURPOSE
The University of Virginia does not tolerate acts of workplace violence/hostility committed by or against employees. The University strictly prohibits employees from making threats or engaging in violent or hostile acts.
This is a zero-tolerance policy, meaning that the University disciplines or terminates every employee found to have violated this policy.

DEFINITIONS
Third Parties: Individuals who are not state employees, such as relatives, acquaintances, or strangers.

Workplace: Any location, either permanent or temporary, where an employee performs any work-related duty. This includes, but is not limited to, the buildings and the surrounding perimeters, including the parking lots, field locations, alternate work locations, and travel to and from work assignments.

Workplace Violence: Any physical assault, threatening behavior or verbal abuse occurring in the workplace by employees or third parties. It includes, but is not limited to, beating, stabbing, suicide, shooting, rape, attempted suicide, psychological trauma such as threats, obscene phone calls, an intimidating presence, and harassment of any nature such as stalking, shouting or swearing.

Prohibited Conduct
Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:

• Injuring another person physically;
• Engaging in behavior that creates a reasonable fear of injury in another person;
• Engaging in behavior that subjects another individual to extreme emotional distress;
• Possessing, brandishing, or using a weapon while on University premises or engaged in University business;
• Damaging property intentionally;
• Threatening to injure an individual or damage property; and
• Committing injurious acts motivated by, or related to, domestic violence or sexual harassment.

Identifying and Responding to Risks
The University identifies and responds to workplace violence/hostility hazards as follows:

• Workplace Violence/Hostility Prevention and Threat Assessment Team
  The Chief Human Resource Officer and the University's Chief of Police will serve as co-chairs of the University Workplace Violence/Hostility Prevention and Threat Assessment Team (hereto referred as "Team") to assess the University's vulnerability to employee violence and determine the appropriate preventative measures and to will handle critical incidents that have occurred due to a workplace violence/hostility situation.
  
  Standing members of the Team include: the Chief Human Resource Officer, the University Police Chief, the Director of Employee Relations, the Faculty & Employee Assistance Program Director, a representative from the University General Counsel Office, a representative from the Office of the Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, and other individuals may be appointed as needed.
  The University Police Department maintains records of all threats and incidents of violence committed against employees. Access to such records is on a need-to-know basis only.
  

• Pre-hire screening
  University Human Resources will take reasonable steps to review job candidates' backgrounds to determine if they have a history of committing violent/hostile acts or making threats. Pre-hire screening generally consists of reference checks with prior employers, but the screening can include rigorous background investigations for safety-sensitive positions and positions involving extensive, unsupervised contact with the public.

GUIDELINES FOR HANDLING VIOLENT SITUATIONS
University Human Resources and the University Police Department will communicate guidelines and procedures for handling workplace violence and threats.

University Human Resources and the University Police Department are responsible for reviewing the guidelines to ensure that they are adequate and up-to-date.

SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE
Victims of violent/hostile incidents in the workplace might have to contend with a variety of medical, psychological, and legal consequences. The University will accommodate victims of workplace violence/hostility by:

• Referring victims to appropriate community resources, such as health care facilities, counseling services, victim advocacy groups, legal aid, and domestic violence shelters;
• Providing flexible work hours or short-term or extended leave;
• Cooperating with law enforcement personnel in the investigation of the crime and the prosecution of the offender.
• Providing a debriefing for employees 24 to 48 hours after a serious violent or hostile occurrence to explain what happened and what steps are being taken by the University to support affected employees.

POLICY VIOLATIONS AND ENFORCEMENT
University Human Resources and University Police Department personnel must immediately investigate any reported violence, harassment, or threats committed on by an employee on University premises.

Employees violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action under DHRM's Policy 1.60, Standards of Conduct, up to and including termination, based on the situation. Violent acts of classified employees occurring outside the workplace also may be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. In these situations, the agency must demonstrate in writing that the violent conduct committed has an adverse impact on the employee's ability to perform the assigned duties and responsibilities or that it undermines the effectiveness of the agency's activities.

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE/HOSTILITY: EMPLOYEE GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES

While the University of Virginia endeavors to provide employees with a safe and secure workplace, the University recognizes that crime and violence sometimes can spill over into the workplace. We are providing you with these guidelines so you can be better prepared to handle violent and threatening situations.

This document summarizes actions you should and should not take to deal with threatening or violent situations. Taking a few moments to familiarize yourself with these guidelines is an important part of being prepared for workplace emergencies.

GENERAL SECURITY PRACTICES.

• Never hesitate to call the police or security if confronted with a potentially violent situation. It is better to have called the police unnecessarily than not to have the police available when a threatening situation turns violent.
• Never attempt to physically restrain or physically remove a threatening or violent individual by yourself. Doing so, puts you in danger and leaves you and the University vulnerable to possible lawsuits.
• Always report violent, threatening, or harassing behavior to your supervisor and Security. Alert your supervisor or the University Police Department to the presence of strangers in your work area or the presence of any suspicious packages.
• In the event of armed robbery, comply with the robber's demands, including demands for University money or property.

COPING WITH THREATENING OR VIOLENT INDIVIDUALS
Effective handling of threatening or violent individuals requires you to use good judgment and common sense and rely on your own assessment of the particular situation. Nevertheless, you might be able to resolve or cope with many types of threatening or violent situations by following the guidelines below.

• When confronted with an angry or hostile individual:
1. Stay calm.
2. Listen attentively.
3. Maintain eye contact.
4. Be courteous and patient, but try to keep the situation under control by expressing a willingness to sit and calmly discuss the matter with the individual.
• When confronted with a person shouting, swearing, threatening violence, or engaging in bizarre or dangerous behavior:
1. Stay calm.
2. Be courteous and patient, but maintain your distance from the individual.
3. Signal a co-worker or supervisor that you need help. Do not call for help yourself if the individual is directly confronting you.
4. Have the co-worker or supervisor call the security guard or the local police.
5. Paging Mary Evans is a pre-arranged code to signal University Police that there is a problem.
• When confronted by someone with a gun, knife, or other weapon:
1. Stay calm.
2. Never try to grab the weapon.
3. Quietly signal a co-worker or supervisor that you need help. Do not call for help yourself if the individual is directly confronting you.
4. Have the co-worker or supervisor call the security guard or local police. Paging Mary Evans signals Security that there is a problem.
5. Be courteous and patient. Keep talking, but follow the instructions from the person who has the weapon. Stall for time, but do not risk harm to yourself or others.
6. Watch for a safe chance to escape to a safe area. Take direction from the law enforcement (University Police) personnel once they arrive on the scene