Want To Get Self Defense Training Into Your Company's Workplace Violence Program? Stop Doing This!

Are you a manager concerned about workplace violence

? As well you should be. With the state of the economy and the current mindset of dependency and expectancy held by more and more people in our society, workplace violence has become a greater epidemic than the Swine Flu!

Let me ask you a question: Have you tried to get self protection and personal safety training instituted in your company but keep encountering resistance?

Well, this article offers a simple suggestion that may help you to navigate and get around the excessive "lawyering," fears, and objections that stand in the way of protecting yourself and your employees from a dangerous attack. By understanding how your superiors think, you can take a different approach that may yield the results that you want - and the training that you and your employees need!

It's no secret that upper-level management is concerned more with preventing a problem from occuring than in having to expend additional time, money, and effort in dealing with one that is happening in the moment. It just makes good business and financial sense. But, what if their decision-making process is flawed?

What if the way they are thinking about the problem is backwards, and therefore causing the potential for more harm than good?

Well, this is exactly the case when it comes to dealing with workplace violence.

I know this because I talk with managers just like you, every day, who are encountering not only resistance to the idea of providing self defense training to employees, but the mistaken belief that such training will create a bigger problem. The belief is that, "if we teach our employees how to fight, then we increase our risk of having violence in our workplace."

Does this sound familiar?

Trust me. You're not alone in your frustration. Literally thousands of security, HR, and crisis management directors and managers are dealing with the same kind of ignorance everyday!

So, what do you do? Do you...

1) Accept the decision?

2) Keep beating a "dead horse" - hoping that someone will eventually say "yes?"

3) Distract yourself with other projects and hope that nothing ever happens?

Or, do you...

4) Find another way to approach your superiors so that they are not only willing to say "yes," but they are happy to do so?

I'm going to assume that, if you're still reading, your answer was to "find another way." And that tells me that you really are serious and this isn't just a passing idea that you'll forget about until the shooting starts!

But, how can we approach the idea of self defense training in a different way? What can we say or do that will get the decision-makers to allow us to institute an effective self defense program that will do more to prevent workplace violence from happening in our facility than all of our "zero tolerance" statements, banned weapons lists, and threats of punishment combined?

We can begin with the understanding that your superiors - and their lawyers - make the common mistake of equating self-defense as "fighting." Once we know this simple truth - that people see two very different concepts as being the same thing - we can see where they are coming from and why they're making the decisions that they are.

So, my suggestion to you - if you REALLY want to get this training into the hands of the people who need it - your employees - then you...

...STOP USING THE TERM "SELF-DEFENSE!"

If your higher-ups can't see beyond the phrase, and see the concept that your trying to convey, then you must take a different approach in your proposal. Here are 3 ways that you can "repackage" your proposal. If one doesn't work, go to the next. But, if you're serious about protecting yourself and your people, you owe it to yourself, your employees, and your company to keep trying until you find the one that works!

Instead of suggesting "self-defense" training:

1) Replace your use of the term "self defense" with others, such as: "self protection," "personal safety," "escape and survival," or anything else that you can come up with that sounds different and less like "fighting."

2) Suggest a "speech" or "presentation" by an expert at a meeting or manager's training event. In place of a live presentation, having a video presentation on the subject may be more welcome due to the lower cost and flexibility involved in arranging for it.

Unfortunately, the truth is that often hearing about the type of training being described by an outsider - an expert in the field - may go further than a suggestion from someone your boss sees as his "junior."

3) Suggest beginning with a non-aggressive program first - one where there is little to no chance of your employee "fighting back." An example of this might be a program that teaches employees how to effectively hide from, shield against, or escape from gunfire or other thrown objects. This way, the program can both stand-alone as a training topic, and open the door for additional training as your own managers will be re-framed by the experts discussion about exactly what is, and what is not self defense...

...and the difference between self defense and fighting!

by: Jeffrey Miller

POST COMMENT

Do You Want To Be A Real Self Defense Expert? Make Sure You Have These 3 Things In Your Arsenal! Ninja Self Defense - Mastering The Use Of Pressure Point Attacks Ninja Self Defense Training - 4 Ways To Protect Yourself Against A Punch, Grab, Or Kick Self Defense - Why It's Not Always A Good Idea To Escape From A Grabbing Attack Self Defense - How To Successfully Evade A Strike Flying Ant Treatments - Arm Yourself With Good Flying Ant Treatments Self Defense - Why It's Not Smart To Block A Kick Advanced Self Defense - An Overlooked Situation When Defending Against An Attacker With A Firearm What It Means To Be Self Determined Self Employment Jobs - What Is Involved Where Our Sense Of Self Worth Comes From Self Defense-dog Attack Prevention Checklist Boost Your Self-confidence Despite Hair Loss