Corporate Counseling Associates Offers Workplace Violence Prevention Services

CCA cautions against overreacting after high-profile incidents; program equips organizations to identify signs and symptoms of “at risk” situations

New York, NY / May 23, 2007 – Corporate Counseling Associates (CCA) is encouraging employers to take active steps to address the threat of workplace violence, following high-profile tragedies such as the Virginia Tech shooting and other incidents.

“We’ve seen a resurgence of interest in recent weeks,” says Robert Levy, president of CCA. CCA provides consulting and training aimed at preventing workplace violence, which gives managers and organizations the needed tools and skills to anticipate situations, deal with threats of violence and develop a corporate response following a crisis.

“The key to preventing threats of violence is being able to identify the signs and symptoms of the ‘at risk’ employee and workplace,” Levy adds. “Many organizations today are overreacting to the issue, which is common after such high-profile incidents. Employers shouldn’t ignore the problem, but they also shouldn't over-react, then ignore it again after the crisis is addressed.”

CCA encourages employers to take a thoughtful and reasoned approach by establishing an anti-violence team and policies, and undergoing violence prevention training. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 30 percent of U.S. employers have a workplace violence prevention policy, and 21 percent of U.S. organizations provide training on the prevention and reporting of workplace violence.

Companies should also focus on managers as well as employees -- in previous cases, some incidents were triggered by abusive managers. CCA’s services examine how a manager’s personality style and the work environment can contribute to a potentially violent confrontation.

CCA addresses a spectrum of issues for clients, including:

• Defining workplace violence and hostility.
• The potentially violent individual.
• Performance management as prevention.
• Responding to threats of violence and crises and defusing potentially dangerous situations.
• Restoring a sense of safety and security within the organization following an act of violence.

While the Virginia Tech shootings are a high-profile example, Levy notes that everyday statistics are equally disturbing. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that 1.8 million incidents of assault take place annually in the workplace; one of out every six deaths in the workplace results from violence. Homicide accounts for 12 percent of job related deaths per year.

“Besides loss of life, problems attributable to workplace violence include absenteeism, turnover, productivity and morale,” Levy notes. “Only proactive and aggressive intervention by organizations will create a safe, zero-tolerance work environment.”

About Corporate Counseling Associates

Corporate Counseling Associates (CCA) started in 1984 with a passion for helping people, and remains committed to helping companies get the most from their workforce. CCA helps companies identify and address workplace issues before they become costly problems. CCA understands business on a strategic level, and its programs help organizations support and improve employee performance with key service offerings such as EAP, work/life, talent management, executive coaching, content-rich training and consultative wellness.

With more than 23 years of experience and a global network of hand-picked consultants and in-house professionals, CCA employs flexibility, agility and creative thinking to deliver high-impact performance results. For more information, call (212) 686-6827 or visit www.corporatecounseling.com.