Ways Managers Can Help Promote A Safe WorkplaceThe NESDIS Workplace Violence Prevention Pilot Program will provide all NESDIS employees with a new resource to answer questions and assist in addressing concerns about workplace violence. The pilot program is being called RESPECT. RESPECT is not an acronym but has been selected to represent the goal of respectful behavior in the workplace. Your calls to (757) 441-3838 will be answered by a trained RESPECT response coordinator who will provide you with advice in response to your questions or concerns, may refer you to other appropriate resources, or may call in the trained response team of NOAA experts to assess the situation and provide guidance on how to proceed.
Ms. Gail Hamilton, a NOAA Employee Relations Specialist, will serve as the RESPECT response coordinator. If you have questions or concerns about workplace violence or potential workplace violence, Ms. Hamilton will take your phone calls at (757) 441-3838 Monday-Friday during normal business hours, Eastern Standard Time; after-hours calls will be returned the next day. RESPECT is not intended to be used as a substitute for calling 911 when an individual feels police or emergency help is needed.
Specifically, Ms. Hamilton as the Response Coordinator will:.
- Answer initial calls
- Assess urgency and whether there is a need for a Response Team intervention or assistance. This includes answering questions, giving advice, making referrals as needed, and determining timing for convening a group if necessary
- Initiate a call to Response Team members for initial meeting and notify members of date, time and place
- Keep Response Team/RESPECT members informed as appropriate
- Assure the Response Team makes appropriate post-incident response
- Follow up to ensure necessary steps, action and closure
- Serve as primary professional support to the RESPECT Advisory Committee Chairperson
- Serve as the initial contact point with external organizations interested in the NESDIS response to and prevention of violence.
The RESPECT Response Team consists of both Core and Auxiliary members. Core members may include the NESDIS EEO and Diversity Manager, the WFMO/NESDIS Employee & Labor Relations Specialist, the NOAA Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, the Employee Assistance Program, and the Office of Security at NOAA. Auxiliary members may be called to represent other areas such as the Office of Civil Rights, Office of the General Counsel for Labor and Employment Law, and Office of the Chief Information Officer..
The RESPECT Advisory Committee is an advisory body that collaborates with the Response Coordinator. The Advisory Committee develops and recommends policies, practices, and educational tools to prevent and respond to workplace violence.