There is another Hot Seat Webinar coming up this Thursday, entitled Beating Workplace Violence in the Era of Covid. It is sponsored by Safety National. Co-host Judge David Langham and I will welcome guests Valerie Horton Rakes and Dr. Geralyn Datz. Horton Rakes is the Risk Manager for the City of Tampa Department of Human Resources-Risk Management, and Dr. Datz is President of Southern Behavioral Medicine Associates in Hattiesburg, MS. A brief “tech check” we held yesterday tells me this is going to be a very interesting webinar.
The Hot Seat is designed to be a candid discussion amongst knowledgeable guests on important topics of the day. There are no PowerPoints. There is no rehearsal. Guests know the topic but are not always provided specific questions in advance. It is designed to be a free-flowing and candid conversation intended to both inform and entertain.
In other words, not your ordinary workers’ compensation webinar, which can be heavy on information, but woefully short on entertainment.
The “tech check” referred to earlier is simply designed to familiarize guests with the webinar room and processes of producing a Hot Seat Webinar. It also ensures that the presenter’s equipment is compatible and that no network restrictions exist that might interfere with the live event. Normally a tech check takes just 15 to 20 minutes. Occasionally, however, when the chemistry is just right, they take on a life of their own, and we find ourselves enthusiastically discussing the topic as if the webinar were already occurring. When that happens, we find the actual webinar will be very well received, indeed.
Yesterday’s tech check lasted much longer than usual, and we found ourselves deep into conversation on the topic of workplace violence. This is an important topic for the workers’ compensation industry. Like any other segment of our economy, our businesses must be concerned for the safety of our workforce and customers. Additionally, we are an industry that, by its very nature of business, may attract a higher potential for violence than others. Finally, even when the violent event occurs well outside of our classification, the workers’ compensation industry is often left to pick up the pieces and help those affected.
I learned a great deal about workplace violence yesterday. First, there are activities that fall under its definition that we do not normally think of in that realm. With the advent of Covid, it seems that violence is on the rise – but we learned things may not be always as they seem. Most importantly we discussed methods of diffusing potential violence that I think will add the most value for attendees. It was a great conversation, and I think that Thursday will be no exception.
The Hot Seat is free, and you can register for it here. It airs Thursday at 1:00 PM Eastern. It is recorded, and registered people who cannot attend live will receive a replay link afterward. All past Hot Seat episodes are available here. I encourage you to attend. Workplace violence is a potential concern for us all, and the information we cover Thursday should be quite helpful for the industry for a variety of reasons.
This will be a great Hot Seat on workplace violence. In fact, I don’t think you’ll be able to beat it with a stick.