The human race is sociable by nature. We congregate into little communities in order to satisfy a base need of fellowship we each hold dear. Even the most solitary person needs to come back into society for some form of interaction. Seeing that we have a need to be around each other, it only makes sense then that we would want to live in peace with those around us.

It’s a sad, but unfortunate truth that we are not always a civil as we should be. Friend can incite friend to violence. This even happens in the workplace. Here are a couple ideas on what you can do as an employer to keep this from happening in your workplace.

Educate Your Employees

Write up a policy defining violence in the workplace. Make it very clear what is and is not acceptable and train them in that way. Clearly state punishments for workplace violence, letting your employees know what they can expect if they break the rules. And finally, handle every offense of the rule. No matter how minor the incident, talk to the employees involved and resolve the situation. Little offenses can turn into bigger ones the longer they are left unhandled.

Make them Feel Comfortable

Helping your employees feel comfortable and safe in an environment can reduce their defensiveness. Develop a personal relationship with each of your workers. Be sincerely interested in who they are and what they do. Find ways to open the barriers to communication by inspiring friendship. When they feel comfortable talking to you, they will likely come to you with concerns before they escalate into violence. Also consider instigating a buddy system, allowing employees to watch out for each other. Should one have issues, they can go to visit their buddy and seek advice on how to handle the issue. They often need a bit of support to come to you about it, even if you are their friend.

These two basic goals are something to strive for. They will improve the feeling of comradeship amongst employees and decrease the likelihood of violence in the workplace.