Healthcare institutions have managed workplace violence with measurable success, despite the challenges faced in hospitals, emergency rooms, mental health, nursing homes, long-term care and community healthcare facilities. The magnitude of the problem is astounding – its devastating impact looms mightily in the hearts and minds of boards of directors, C-suites and security directors as both a real institutional threat and a contentious business reality facing healthcare today.
True or False … in many healthcare facilities, workplace violence is exclusively a security issue? In many instances, the answer would be true. However, in order for healthcare facilities to properly address the issue of workplace violence, a collaborative team effort amongst several disciplines within the healthcare facility needs to occur.
Well-trained officers can be one of the most effective risk management tools for security firms. Proper training can prevent accidents, improve performance and minimize the number of incidents that can lead to costly lawsuits.
The U.S. government continues to face a momentous, transnational threat: Mexican drug trafficking organizations (MDTOs). Mexico’s capacity to combat MDTOs, coupled with the U.S. adeptness to assist in that vein, will have significant implications for both countries and beyond and security overall.
It is no secret that CSOs need to be business enablers to maximize success and to collaborate across disciplines as part of a broader enterprise risk strategy. In my article from the August edition of Security magazine, business acumen, strategic capabilities and entrepreneurial mindsets are underscored as the key skills corporations are demanding from security executives and are requirements for generating business value and collaboration in an enterprise risk management program.
We have all seen the increased physical presence of security and public safety professionals. And we have all been affected by airport delays, baggage regulations and new technologies to screen us.
Professional organizations provide a number of benefits to the occupational/professional groups that they serve. Associations help to pave the way for the profession to progress by offering seminars, publications, courses and industry updates. They set the standards of practice all the way from accreditation and certification to codes of ethics.
In today’s “microwave society” the need for speed often supersedes thoroughness, but in the absence of comprehensive background checks on prospective employees, haste can result in waste…and sometimes worse. Gone are the days when the hiring process was based on a good “gut” feeling and a firm handshake, yet there remain a fair number of otherwise very savvy business people who take the self-service approach to background screening. Without question, the Internet has made the screening process somewhat simple and inexpensive, but without knowing what to look for and where to find it, information can be confusing and/or misleading.
The biggest skill set gaps in the security industry are business acumen, strategic capabilities and an entrepreneurial mindset, according to Kathy Lavinder, owner of Security & Investigative Placement Consultants and a well-known recruiter in the security industry.
Workplace violence has grown into perhaps the most significant risk issue facing corporate security departments today. Security professionals have a unique contribution to make in helping the organization to meet its duty of care to anticipate, prevent, respond to and recover from workplace violence incidents. At the outset, corporate security needs to have a place at the strategic planning table.
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