|Approved||January 12, 2004|
|Revised||March 4, 2015|
- Workplace violence includes, but is not limited to: intimidation; bullying; threats; physical attack; property damage; or conduct which interferes with an employee's or student's safety in the workplace or in the College learning environment, either in person, in writing, by telephone or electronic format. Intimidation includes, but is not limited to, stalking or engaging in actions intended to frighten, coerce, or induce duress or fear. Bullying is unwanted offensive and malicious behavior which undermines an individual or group through persistently negative attacks. There is typically an element of vindictiveness and the behavior is calculated to undermine, patronize, humiliate, intimidate or demean the recipient. Threat is the expression of intent to cause physical or mental harm. An expression constitutes a threat without regard to whether the party communicating the threat has the present ability to carry it out and without regard to whether the expression is contingent, conditional, or future. Physical Attack is unwanted or hostile physical contact such as hitting, fighting, pushing, shoving, or throwing objects. Property Damage is intentional damage to property owned by the State, College, employees, students, visitors, or vendors.
- Acts of violence, as defined herein, may be grounds for disciplinary actions, up to and including dismissal.
- Incidents of workplace violence should be reported immediately to an employee’s supervisor, a Vice President, the Human Resources Director, or to a Campus Law Enforcement/Resource Officer, depending on the severity of the incident. Incidents involving students should be reported to the student’s instructor and to the Vice President for Student Services.
- Any report of workplace violence is to be handled in a confidential manner, with information released only on a need-to-know basis. Employees who act in good faith by reporting real or implied violent behavior or violations of this policy will not be retaliated against or subjected to harassment.
- It is intended that all useful tools such as mediation, Employee Assistance Program, and use of the disciplinary action, suspension, or dismissal policy to correct behavior be employed to secure the workplace from violence and reasonably protect employees from its effects.
- Employees and students will be provided with information and training regarding the potential for violence in the workplace. The purpose of such training is to increase the ability to recognize early warning signs of a potentially violent person or situation and to provide information on how to record incidents indicative of potential problems.