Addressing Workplace Threats in a Virtual Environment

Despite workplaces shifting from office to home, employees are still victims of unfortunate events. How you react will define the future of your company culture.

Throughout the pandemic, the workplace has shifted from our physical offices into our homes, yet workplace threats are still a very real concern. In fact, they are often amplified with new types of threats emerging in the virtual workplace. Both executives and employees face unique challenges to feeling safe and performing at their best. Executives are working from their homes and are easily traceable, domestic violence incidents are on the rise, and employees are under extraordinary financial, emotional and health related stress — juggling job performance, childcare, and just general uncertainty.

However, there’s sun behind the clouds. Despite new challenges for handling workplace threats, conducting effective virtual threat assessments are possible. I recently sat down with Dr. Marisa Randazzo, CEO at SIGMA to discuss ways to proactively address workplace threats in a virtual environment. Here’s are a few highlights:

Be creative and think beyond the traditional menu of employee services
Employee needs are growing more and more diverse by the day. The ‘culture of care,’ as Dr. Randazzo says, has expanded to encompass health, safety and security. Whether it’s virtual access to employee records, telemedicine, community resources, law enforcement, this is the time to think creatively about different services employees may need while taking into account inequities in how safe and supported people feel at home, some of which may not be fully transparent.

Grasp the opportunity to rethink how it’s always been done
This is the time to get employees in silos to talk to each other. This new frontier requires setting aside old school ways of isolating issues as a security concern and being inclusive. Bringing in Supervisors, Human Resources, Legal, etc. for threat assessment training ensures everyone is on the same page and ultimately paints a more holistic picture of what is occurring once a threat is being evaluated.If you don’t already have a company-wide threat assessment team in place, starting one virtually is absolutely possible. SIGMA offers classes to guide the right way to set teams up for long-term success.

Keep your team motivated and balanced amidst the chaos
Asking how you can help when an issue arises sets the foundation for empowering strong leaders. Have empathy and know that corporate security has never experienced anything like the 2020 pandemic. Employees want genuine colleagues they can rely on, and the feeling of being cared for sets the stage for a positive, authentic culture.

It’s no secret there is uncertainty in how to effectively navigate the virtual workplace. However, with the right tools and processes in place, a well-deserved sense of control is within reach.

For more information on this topic, including recent examples of unique threat cases, watch the webinar “Addressing Workplace Threats in a Virtual Environment” now.