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If a situation feels threatening at work, what should you do?

Woman holding up her hand with the word "stop"
Published Feb 28, 2022

Which situations can be perceived as threatening in a meeting with other individuals varies from person to person.
“Our general advice is that if you feel threatened, you should not simply let it pass. Not acting can be dangerous and affect both you and others,” says Lotta Gustavsson, Group Head of the HR Department, Employment Law and Occupational Health and Safety at KTH.

The most common situations where HR receives information that employees have been subjected to threatening and inappropriate behaviour are following various kinds of administrative decisions, such as how an exam has been marked, or that someone has applied for something and been rejected.
It can be the case that the person doing the threatening feels they have been unfairly treated, discriminated against, or victimised.
People under pressure can behave inappropriately or in a threatening manner when something is at stake, and at such times, it is worth having a procedure to activate,” says Gustavsson.

"You can get completely taken aback"

She says that it can sometimes be difficult to act in an appropriate way at times, if, for example, a person becomes very shouty in the student office (studentexpedition).
“You can get completely taken aback. As a first step, it is good to act in a civil manner. Good phrases to use are “this kind of behaviour is not OK with me. I do not feel comfortable right now. I would prefer it if we address this some other time. You can contact me later by phone or email”.
“But, if you are the slightest bit afraid of being physically harmed, you should immediately leave the premises and make your way to a safe place, and call the police immediately on 112.”

Gustavsson’s advice to employees who feel worried or unsafe in a work situation is to contact their immediate manager and ask for a specific health and safety inspection to be organised in the work environment.
Health and safety inspections are part of systematic occupational health and safety work at KTH, that includes risk areas, risk assessments, actions and monitoring.
“The health and safety officer will participate. Actions can include, for example, rearranging the office layout, adding more personnel or establishing telephone times.”

What should managers and supervisors do in terms of preventative measures?
“It is important that department rules and procedures are transparent and properly understood, so that all employees can refer to them as necessary, and so that students, collaborative partners or anyone else that can raise the issues in question, are able to understand them,” says Gustavsson.
“Also ensure that procedures are created that enable an employee to correct errors and mistakes that can be made at work such as for instance, an incorrect calculation or incorrect assessment.”
Gustavsson recommends that work groups should organise health and safety inspections, share experiences and go through and practise how we at KTH can act if any one of us is exposed to a threatening situation.

How should a manager act if an employee is threatened?
“Contact the person subjected to this and arrange a meeting as soon as possible. Create a strategy for the next 24 hours. If the employee would prefer to leave for the day, who can then escort them home? Can you arrange for them to have company this evening? If something has happened on a Friday, should you organise a check-in schedule over the whole weekend, such as regular phone calls to check everything is OK?”

“The person who was affected can suffer a reaction, find it difficult to work or to sleep at night. Ask the victim if they have family or friends that can provide social support. Ask their colleagues to provide this kind of support if necessary."

The manager should also ensure that the person affected can meet a behavioural scientist or equivalent at company healthcare for crisis support.
“It is also important that the manager monitors reactions and procedures, in the case of both the employee and the work group as a whole. Developing a good work culture is important, so everyone feels able to speak up if someone is being treated badly, or if you personally feel a situation feels unpleasant, incomprehensible, unfair or uneasy,” adds Gustavsson.

Katarina Ahlfort
Photo: Mostphotos

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Last changed: Feb 28, 2022