The number of different threatening and violent situations has increased in the city's operations and services in recent years. This is evident from surveys for the city’s personnel, such as the Kunta10 survey and the city's own Fiilari survey, as well as notifications to the city's occupational safety portal, Työsuojelupakki. The situations differ across divisions and services, but the general trend has been upward.
“Employee safety is of paramount importance to us. The city has a zero-tolerance policy towards all violence and threatening situations,” says Petri Lumijärvi, HR Director for the City of Helsinki.
“We work to prevent threatening and violent situations in the city's services and we have tools and instructions to deal with them. We train our employees to know what to do in a threatening or violent situation, review such situations and provide aftercare for the affected. We support and help those who have experienced threats and violence in their work".
Despite many actions, different situations occur in the city's services.
“We hope that residents take proper behaviour into account when dealing with daycare centres, health stations, libraries, the city's messaging systems and all the different functions of the city. Our personnel work hard every day for the residents’ benefit. It is the right of all our employees to have a safe workplace and peace of mind,” says Lumijärvi.
There are many kinds of threatening and violent situations
Threatening and violent situations experienced by city employees can manifest as, for example, threatening behaviour, harassment and intimidation, or physical violence, such as pushing, hitting and kicking. In severe and rare extreme cases, loose items or weapons may even be used for violence.
“There are so many different types of these situations. An employee may be threatened or mistreated in such a way that their safety, well-being or health is endangered. In some cases, they are targeted online harassment and threats on social media, or they can also be linked to the behaviour of daycare children or patients with memory disorders. Even the mere threat of violence can affect the employee's well-being at work,” says Occupational Health and Safety Manager Taija Hämäläinen from the HR Department of the Helsinki City Executive Office.
However, threatening situations and violence are not in anyone’s job description.
“The City of Helsinki wants to be a workplace that is good for everyone,” HR Director Petri Lumijärvi sums up.
