You can take action!
Step 2
Identifying the risk factors in the workplace
The actions to be taken in the organization to prevent workplace violence and its recurrence must be carefully chosen and planned. It is therefore recommended that you begin by examining the risks factors present in your workplace. While interventions implemented in other organizations may provide inspiration, simply copying them without tailoring them to your organization’s specific needs and challenges risks jeopardizing the prevention process.
DETERMINING THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM
Knowing the scope of the problem and of the risk factors present can provide an overview, or snapshot, of the organization that is crucial when it comes to choosing the best direction to take regarding prevention. It also provides additional justifications for the need to act.
The process of forming an overview of the risks factors provides an opportunity for identifying very concrete problems rooted in the specific characteristics of the organization and in the employees’ experience. Forming such an overview implies, in particular, identifying management practices that have a negative impact on the work atmosphere and workers’ health, but also those that have a positive impact. The overview should not necessarily paint a negative picture of the organization, but rather a realistic picture, one that includes both its successes and failures.
IMPORTANT
Regarding issues of confidentiality and neutrality and when financial resources allow, some organizations may choose to hire an external resource (e.g. consultant, evaluation expert) to prepare the overview. However, not all organizations have the means to do so. Regardless, all organizations can always carry out this exercise internally using simple, low-cost means.
AN ACCESSIBLE TOOL DESIGNED TO FACILITATE IDENTIFICATION OF RISK AND PROTECTION FACTORS
Using a checklist can greatly facilitate the task of identifying the risk factors present in an organization. Different models can be used. Drawing inspiration from the main categories of risk factors recognized and validated in occupational health and safety, we have provided a simple model here ((Checklist for Identifying Risk and Protection Factors) to help you identify both the risk and protecton factors present in your organization.
As it is impossible to change everything at once, it is important that you clearly define your priority action targets. To do so, the committee may choose to use the second page of the checklist to prioritize the risk factors identified.
This examination of the major risk factors in the organization will lead to the identification of certain priority action targets, such as:
- communication and information sharing
- recognition and appreciation
- recruitment and training
- stabilization of teams
- new-recruit orientation process
- work/life balance
- transparency and fairness of procédures
- opportunities for socializing and exchanging ideas
- Other
Here is a simple model to help you identify the risk and protection factors present in your organization.
Checklist for Identifying Risk and Protection Factors
Download (.doc)
ANOTHER COMPLEMENTARY STRATEGY:
QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION BY MEANS OF QUESTIONNAIRES (BEFORE AND AFTER)
If you intend to do a more in-depth evaluation of the effects of the interventions you will be putting in place, we suggest that you measure the evolution of these risk factors quantitatively by using questionnaires. This will mean measuring the risk factors before beginning the interventions and then again some time after their implementation. You will thus be able to ascertain whether the interventions have had a measurable impact on these risk factors. Différents outils existent pour procéder à cette évaluation des facteurs de risque. Nous vous donnons ici quelques exemples d’outils que vous pourriez utiliser :
- The INSPQ’s Grille d’identification de risques psychosociaux au travail (Note: This is now available on the Web, in French only. However, to access it, you must complete online training. For more information, click on the link.)
- The GRISMT’s Questionnaire sur la santé psychologique au travail (in French only).
If you have the necessary means, you may also want to use the services of specialized external resources for help in evaluating the risk factors.
TO ENRICH YOUR QUALITATIVE OVERVIEW:
CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS AND HOLDING DISCUSSIONS
The use of a questionnaire or a checklist provides the organization with information on the psychosocial work constraints and the workers’ health. However, there are limitations associated with these methods of collecting information. Among other things, they do not provide detailed insight into the actual experience of employees on the floor, which is crucial to forming an overview truly grounded in the organizational reality. In this case, it is also necessary to take steps to obtain an on-the-ground perspective in order to form an overview that accurately reflects the organization’s internal dynamics. .
Interviews or discussions can therefore be held with groups of workers and managers at different hierarchical levels, as they have a good knowledge of the issues at play in the workplace and a broader view of the situation.
As with the questionnaire option, this method requires skill in processing and analyzing qualitative information, which is why the mandate should be given to a person with experience in the field. Moreover, to build an atmosphere of trust that is conducive to dialogue, the people who lead the discussions or conduct the interview should be neutral and credible in the eyes of their co-workers.