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From bullying and harassment to physical altercations and cyber threats, workplace violence takes various forms and affects diverse industries. Yasmine Mustafa shares her personal journey and insights, shedding light on the nuances of workplace violence prevention, the significance of cultivating a culture of respect, and the power of effective communication in diffusing potential conflicts.
In this podcast, she also offers listeners invaluable advice on recognizing warning signs and implementing strategies to create secure, empowered workplaces.
Key Takeaways
- Workplace violence is endemic in frontline industries. Yasmine cites that 58% of hotel housekeepers experience sexual harassment from guests, and 75% of healthcare workers have been assaulted — nurses and doctors are assaulted at higher rates than prison guards or police.
- Treating violence as "part of the job" is the real failure. Yasmine recounts a healthcare worker punched so hard on her first day she needed facial reconstruction surgery. The industry's normalisation of assault is what drives burnout, PTSD, and exits.
- The business case for prevention is concrete. A nurse is six times more likely to leave after an assault, and each replacement costs around $58,000 in staffing agency fees, overtime, and onboarding time. Proactive safety is cheaper than reactive hiring.
- Prevention starts with a physical risk assessment. Third-party evaluators audit line of sight, lighting, isolated layouts, and employee-reported incident history — that checklist drives everything else, from de-escalation training to CCTV and panic buttons.
- Warning signs every worker should be trained on. Altered mindset (mental illness, substance use, post-surgical), clenched fists, sudden mood shifts, escalating volume. De-escalation and conflict-resolution training must be ongoing and interactive, not one-off.
- Safe reporting is the backbone of a safety culture. Employees must be able to report without penalty, in their own language, with a clearly documented procedure for what happens next — otherwise incidents stay hidden and patterns never surface.
- "Safety moments" after incidents build trust. Organisations that debrief employees immediately after a violent incident — open forum, clear action items — report higher morale and lower turnover than those that brush events under the rug.
In Yasmine's Words
On the scale of the problem
I started ROAR because I understand what it's like to be unsafe in the workplace, and I don't want anyone else to have those same experiences.
Fifty-eight percent of housekeepers experience sexual harassment from guests. Nurses and doctors are assaulted more than prison guards and police officers. It's under-reported, and it's assumed to be part of the job.
On the downstream cost for workers
One healthcare worker I spoke with was punched so hard on her first day she needed facial reconstruction surgery. She has PTSD now, and she doesn't know if she can go back, because every time she tries, she relives it.
When a coworker gets punched or kicked, your morale isn't going to be high. You feel afraid, you carry secondhand trauma, and trust with the employer breaks down.
On the business case
A nurse is six times more likely to leave after she's been attacked. Turnover for that nurse is around $58,000 — staffing agency overage, overtime, onboarding time. It is more cost-effective for organisations to be proactive than to wait until someone leaves.
On how workplaces should prevent it
First, conduct a risk assessment — bring someone in to evaluate the physical environment, interview employees, audit line of sight and lighting, document history. Everything else flows from that.
De-escalation training, conflict resolution, crisis management. It has to be ongoing and interactive. The institutions with the most success run a debrief after every incident and let employees speak openly about how they feel.
On reporting and culture
The employer has to make it safe to report. Too often, people who speak up get penalised. Document the procedure in multiple languages, state what will happen after a report is filed, and guarantee no repercussions.
It always starts at the top. When leadership prioritises safety, everyone else does. Zero-tolerance policies, open communication, listening to employee feedback — that's how a culture of respect gets built.
On who's at risk right now
There's an unprecedented rise of instability — people are ruder than they've ever been, and they're taking it out on frontline workers. Retail, healthcare, customer service, anyone dealing with emotionally charged situations, alcohol, cash, or isolation is more at risk than ever.
No one should be at risk when they're trying to earn a wage. Don't wait until something's happened. Get ahead of it.
About the Speaker
Yasmine Mustafa believes ROAR found her, not the other way around. She draws upon her experience as a refugee, discovering she was undocumented, and working in unsafe conditions to lead the Company in its mission to empower and protect others. She has over 15 years of leading technology companies and sold her first company, a lead gen tool, to a Silicon Valley firm in 2009.
She is fueled by a passion to leverage technology for good, previously launching a non-profit chapter to help women learn how to code in a safe, judgment-free zone.
Her role as a leader and advocate has been recognized by the BBC, CNBC’s Upstart 100, and the City of Philadelphia, among others. She loves to speak at conferences to inspire others and she is a 2x TEDx speaker with a roster of speaking credits that includes SXSW and CES.
In her free time, Yasmine enjoys spending time with friends and family, and being outdoors as much as possible, whether it’s biking around Philadelphia, hiking or hammocking, and traveling. She sits on the board of Coded by Kids, Leadership Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies.
Connect with her on Linkedin.
Show Notes
(02:00) What is the definition of workplace violence, and what are some common forms of violence that can occur in a work environment?
(02:47) What are the potential consequences of workplace violence for employees, employers, and the overall work environment?
(05:51) What are some effective strategies and measures that organizations can implement to prevent workplace violence and create a safe working environment?
(08:57) What are some warning signs or red flags that could indicate a potential for violence in the workplace?
(11:47) What are the psychological and emotional impacts of workplace violence on victims and witnesses, and how can organizations support those affected?
(14:03) How can workplace violence be reported and handled in a way that protects the well-being and safety of employees?
(15:40) How can employers effectively train and educate their employees about recognizing, preventing, and responding to workplace violence incidents?
(18:12) Are there specific industries or occupations that are more prone to workplace violence, and what are the reasons behind this trend?
(19:39) Would you like to share any valuable suggestions with our listeners?
