Medical College of Georgia Workplace Violence Policy

Medical College of Georgia Workplace Violence Policy
Administrative Policies and Procedures
Office of Primary Responsibility: Public Safety Division
No. 1.6.22

Workplace Violence Policy

1.0 Purpose

To define behavior which constitutes workplace violence and to define procedures for reporting and resolving incidents of workplace violence.

2.0 Policy

2.1 For purposes of this policy, "workplace violence" shall mean any behavior, act or statement that:

a. would be interpreted by a reasonable person to be aggressive, intimidating, harassing, or unsafe and,
b. which carries an expressed or implied intent to cause harm to a person or property; and
c. is related to an MCG activity.

2.2 Workplace violence shall be considered a violation of MCG classified employee, faculty and student conduct codes and may subject an individual to discipline in accordance with the terms of the applicable policies and procedures (see "MCG Administrative Policies and Procedures," Section 1.4.07; "MCG Faculty Manual: Removal of Faculty Members"; "MCG Student Handbook: Student Conduct Code"). Where appropriate, violators may be subject to criminal prosecution. Contractors and their agents are expected to take appropriate actions to deal with incidents of workplace violence.

2.3 Every employee, faculty member and student is responsible for reporting instances of workplace violence in accordance with this policy. Every supervisor, administrator and manager is responsible for responding promptly and thoroughly to allegations of workplace violence in accordance with the terms of this policy.

2.4 All persons at MCG should report instances of workplace violence.

(A) In emergency situations, MCG Public Safety should be contacted at 1-2911. The employee, faculty or student should then report the incident to his/her immediate supervisor, faculty advisor or resident advisor.

(B) In non-emergency situations, workplace violence should be reported first to an immediate supervisor. If the immediate supervisor is the instigator of the workplace violence, the incident should be reported to the next level supervisor, Crisis Management Team (CMT) Ref: 3.0, or Director of Human Resources (ext. 1-3777).

(C) In situations where a person witnesses an instance of workplace violence and does not know how to contact the supervisor of those involved in the incident, MCG Public Safety should be contacted.

2.5 Reported instances of workplace violence should be handled by immediate supervisors in accordance with applicable MCG conduct policies for classified employees, faculty, and students. Additionally, supervisors are encouraged to consult with MCG Public Safety, Human Resources Division, Employee/Faculty Assistance Program, and/or Legal Office about appropriate resolution of instances of workplace violence. Where appropriate, disciplinary action should be administered in accordance with applicable MCG Policies and Procedures.

2.6 All persons should avail themselves of the training and other resources provided by the CMT so that they will be able to recognize the warning signs of workplace violence and to appropriately respond to them.

3.0 Crisis Management Team (CMT)

3.1 There shall be a CMT appointed by the Vice President for Administration and Vice President for Legal Affairs to serve as a resource for issues related to workplace violence. The CMT shall consist of: the Director of Human Resources, one representative from the Legal Office, one representative from Public Safety, one representative from Employee/Faculty Assistance Program, one representative from Institutional Relations, two representatives at-large and one representative from Student Affairs if a student is involved in the incident. The Vice President shall designate one member of the CMT as the chair and it shall meet from time to time as necessary.

3.2 The CMT shall serve as a resource for supervisors and other employees in situations involving workplace violence. The CMT will provide advice and guidance on MCG policies and procedures, intervention, counseling and prevention.

3.3 Supervisors responding to allegations of workplace violence shall report all such allegations and their resolution to the CMT. CMT shall conduct a post-incident review and, where appropriate, make recommendations for preventing or responding to future incidents.

3.4 The CMT shall be responsible for designing and implementing workplace violence training and education for MCG faculty, students, and employees. Such training programs will be reviewed by the CMT at least annually, administered and tracked by the Personnel and Training Section and will be offered at least once each year to all MCG faculty, employees and students.

Source: Medical College of Georgia

Website: http://www.mcg.edu/Policies/1622.html