Page 8 - UFRA Straight Tip Spring 2024 - Volume 25 Issue 2

Battalion Chief:
The Workplace Is No Place for Violence— Adopting and Enforcing a Zero-Tolerance Policy
We may be a family, but if we hope to not be a dysfunctional one, we must take this zero tolerance of workplace bullying and harassment seriously.
Sadly, the fire service is replete with bullying and harassment. Articles by Firehouse, Fire Rescue, Lexipol, Fire Law Blog, and others are full of stories about harassment, bullying, discrimination, violence, and more. A 2019 Lexipol article said, “In a recent webinar, 84% of respondents in- dicated they had observed or been the victim of bullying in the fire ser- vice.”1 In fact, it has become pervasive enough that the IAFC has formed a Bullying, Harassment and Workplace Violence Prevention Task Group to help combat these problems and to assist in holding organizations accountable for not taking steps to prevent such behavior.2
Beyond the IAFC, we are hearing fire service leaders encourage us
to adopt a “zero-tolerance policy” for acts of workplace violence. Dr. Denis Onieal and Chief Dennis Rubin both made the point at this year’s Utah State Fire Chiefs Association training in St. George. While I agree wholeheartedly, I also understand that this is tough to put into practice. For one thing, our brotherhood/sisterhood culture tends to allow us to dismiss certain behaviors. Two other things that make it tough are 1) the challenge of defining workplace violence and 2) the promotion of bullies who can then harass unchecked. This article is an effort to briefly tackle those two issues.
Defining Workplace Violence
Most of us equate violence with physical acts, which are easy to define and address. However, both “workplace violence” and “hostile work en- vironments” encompass more than that. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workplace violence is “any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site.”3
The Weber Fire District’s policy on workplace violence defines violence as:
Any conduct threatened or actual, by any person, that causes or is likely to cause injury, and includes any threatening statement or behavior that gives a person reasonable cause to believe he/she is at risk of injury or that otherwise places them in reasonable fear or apprehension for their safety.
BATTALION CHIEF
The policy then goes into specific behaviors, including the use of coarse language, intimidation, harassment, job threats, and so on that create a hostile or threatening work environment. Your department and/or city most likely has similar language that can serve as a good place for any battalion chief to start.
The Promotion of Bullies
Something that makes enforcing a zero-tolerance policy toughest of all is the promotion of bullies who can then harass unchecked. Supervi- sors, and especially battalion chiefs, are in the best position to halt the tolerance of violence. However, we administrators may, knowingly or unknowingly, place bullies and harassers in supervisory positions. This goes against our critical obligation to protect all employees by creating a safe space where they can work. So, if we are to take zero tolerance seri- ously, we must do a better job of more surgically defining and addressing this behavior. And this starts with you.
Set the Example
What is your role, as a battalion chief, in zero tolerance? First of all, zero tolerance always starts with oneself. If you are someone who handles conflict with emotion and the use of coarse language or threats, you may be guilty of being a harasser yourself. In this case, you owe it to your captains, crews, administration, and citizens to get help. Having bullies as supervisors is the number-one enemy of zero tolerance. We cannot tolerate bullying behavior in ourselves.
Supervisors must set an example. You can only be in a position to en- force workplace violence policies if you are not guilty of it yourself. Show your captains how you want them to function by treating all employees with respect. I highly recommend training and books on emotional intelligence. The better we get at self-control, the better position we will be in to not tolerate violence and harassment from others.
Be Proactive
“Not tolerating” doesn’t mean we attack or even discipline an attacker, but it does mean that we proactively address what happened. Be proac- tive in defining and pointing out workplace violence policy violations. Supervisors must consistently provide messaging, documentation, training, and other efforts to reduce and eliminate workplace violence. Regarding documentation, supervisors need to meticulously document their efforts to help individuals correct their behavior. We also must provide our employees with counseling opportunities when needed.
Do Something
Regardless of what positive approach you take, you must do something. Ignoring problem children has never and will never work. We must set the example, be proactive, provide consistent messaging, document noted policy violations, train, counsel, and otherwise make every effort
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