Addressing Workplace Violence in Healthcare

Upcoming HIROC Knowledge Exchange Sessions for 2025
Workplace Violence Prevention (WVP) is a top risk for Canadian healthcare organizations and is on the minds of HIROC Subscribers across Canada. We know this for many reasons, but especially because we are listening to what our Subscribers are saying.
In speaking about HIROC’s Subscriber Advisory Council and their recent work focusing on health human resources, HIROC’s CEO Catherine Gaulton shared, “One of the things that really rose to the top was the frequency, severity, and the overwhelming concern in relation to workplace violence.”
How We’re Tackling This Risk
HIROC has developed a four-part virtual Knowledge Exchange series for Subscribers, taking place in 2024/2025. Over 500 individuals from across Canada registered to attend Part 1 on November 28.
We had honest conversations about how workplace violence can affect everyone, and these acts can be committed by anyone.
We heard about a few amazing projects across Canada that are seeing a difference in reducing physical injuries and trauma. We heard how programs and initiatives around WVP can result in lower absenteeism, improved productivity, and better patient, resident, or client care. Finally, we heard how promoting a culture of safety and respect strengthens our healthcare community and improves overall care experiences.
These sentiments from one participant were echoed by many, “I feel the presenters yesterday were amazing. A lot of takeaways and resources to help us as a smaller organization. Nice to not have to recreate the wheel.”
If you missed Part 1 in the series or you’d like to share with your colleagues, head over to our YouTube channel to watch the recording.
Thank you to our presenters for sharing your work. The organizations and topics we heard from included:
- University Health Network (A Systemic Framework for Addressing Workplace Violence in Healthcare)
- Alberta Health Services (Harassment and Violence Policy and Programming)
- Carewest – Innovative Health Care (Story of a Trauma Informed Approach to Providing Safe Care)
- SickKids (Responding to Family Caregiver Behaviour Escalations)
- IWK Health Centre (Behavioral Emergency Response Team)
- The Ottawa Hospital (Creating a Security Team for a Healthcare Setting)
2025 Sessions
The sessions this year will take a particular focus on the four types of workplace violence. Review the four types on the Public Services Health & Safety Association website.
Register now to reserve your spot for the final three HIROC WVP sessions:
- Part 2: February 13, 2025 (Type II: Client/Patient/Resident to Worker)
- Part 3: May 29, 2025 (Type I: External Perpetrator)
- Part 4: October 2, 2025 (Type IV: Domestic Violence)
All sessions are from 1:00-3:30 PM ET, and are complimentary and exclusively for HIROC Subscribers.
Help your organization better prepare for workplace violence by attending one of HIROC’s upcoming Knowledge Exchange sessions!
For more on this topic, check out our Risk Profile on Workplace Violence / Disruptive Behaviour.
If you have questions at any time, reach out to us at [email protected].