Timothy A Dimoff of SACS Consulting & Investigative Services On How Managers & Team Leaders Can Help Eliminate Workplace Bullying and Harassment

Take your head out of the sand! One of the biggest mistakes we have seen over the years involves companies who think it will not happen to them. In these cases, we see the bullying or harassment situation has become out of control and these firms are experiencing loss of employees, poor morale and company culture and that they even can have a difficult time in hiring new employees as the company reputation has been negatively affected.

Workplace bullying and harassment are unfortunately prevalent in many organizations, affecting the mental health and well-being of employees. These issues can lead to decreased productivity, high turnover, and toxic work environments. Managers and team leaders have a crucial role to play in addressing and preventing these situations, fostering a culture of respect, inclusion, and support. In this interview series, we are talking to speak with experts, such as HR professionals, psychologists, organizational consultants, team leaders, and successful managers, who can share their insights and experiences on “How Managers & Team Leaders Can Help Eliminate Workplace Bullying and Harassment.” As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Timothy Dimoff.

Timothy Dimoff has over 40 years of experience in law enforcement procedures, high-risk security issues and private security procedures. As Founder and President of SACS Consulting, he has built his company into one of the nation’s most recognized and well respected security consulting firms. Prior to starting SACS Consulting, he served as a detective and a SWAT Team member in the Akron, Ohio Police Department. He also served on a federal law enforcement task force, and was instrumental in developing several law enforcement training programs including a Close Encounter Self-Defense and Liability Reduction course that has been utilized by law enforcement and private security organizations throughout the United States. Through associations with the FBI and the Secret Service, Mr. Dimoff works to deter traditional crime as well as cybercrime. He was certified by the State of Ohio as a commander in law enforcement, corrections and jailer programs, and is currently a certified instructor on active shooters. He is also an instructor in law enforcement and private security training.

In addition to dozens of security-related articles for newspapers and magazines, Mr. Dimoff has authored several books and has provided commentary for TV, radio, Internet and print media. He is widely regarded for his extensive public speaking background and often serves as an expert witness for security and law enforcement litigation for both defendants and plaintiffs throughout the United States.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

I started my career in law enforcement with the Akron, Ohio Police Dept. where I was a detective and I served until I was injured in a drug raid. It was after that injury that I saw a need in the security field and started my firm, SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc. I have grown the firm into a multi-million-dollar security and HR firm specializing in workplace security and other HR issues. I have also served on a Federal Task Force. My background includes many years of specialized training and experience in high-risk security issues. I have utilized my experience, knowledge and training in the private sector to help businesses prevent and deal with violence, harassment, sexual harassment and security issues.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

As you may imagine, in my field, there have been several interesting stories. One of the most rewarding for me has been investigations where we were able to recover missing children that had been kidnapped, been involved in human trafficking and were missing for long periods of time. We were able to locate them when no one, including authorities, could locate them. The best part is when we were able to reunite them with their families!

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

My company, SACS Consulting & Investigative Services is very effective in putting our client companies and their leadership back in control of their business. In many cases, the culture of the company including employees, gets out of control and chaos may set in. This leaves the company feeling as if they have lost control and that their workplace culture has become very negative. We have been very successful in working with the leadership, assisting them on how to build back their positive culture, regain control, eliminate the negative personnel and make their company a great and productive place to work once again!

You are a successful business leader. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

1. I always embrace new ideas and am not afraid to try them out. My company has grown over the years and expanded our services in many ways as the needs of our clients and society have changed. We are now offering new several services that we did not offer 10–20 years ago such as active shooter training.
2. I am not afraid to admit that we need to eliminate a service that we once thought was a good idea or change direction. My company tested being involved in OHSA Safety Training, but we soon found out it was not a good fit for us and we shut that division down.
3. I am a firm believer in delegate, delegate, delegate! Many business owners are unable to “let go” and it stifles the company’s ability to grow and achieve success. I have always been very willing to delegate and each time I have done it my company, my employees and my client base has grown substantially.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Let’s start with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. What does “Workplace Bullying and Harassment” mean?

In simple terms workplace bullying and harassment means that an employee is being intentionally mocked, intimidated, or threatened. This behavior usually includes some type of repeated, harmful mistreatment of an employee usually through abusive conduct that can include verbal abuse, physical and nonverbal behaviors that are threatening, intimidating or humiliating, work interference or sabotage. This is usually perpetrated by another employee, but it can also be perpetrated by a superior or manager. This behavior is done for a variety of different reasons.

This might be intuitive to you, but it will be helpful to clearly express this. Can you please explain why it is so important for leaders to help eliminate workplace bullying and harassment? Why should this be a priority over many other wonderful workplace initiatives?

Workplace bullying and harassment is like a cancer and it can destroy the positive culture in a company very fast. It also can have a strong impact on the company’s overall success, profits and reputation. Lastly, it will drive your best employees to leave and choose to work for another company where it does not exist.

Additionally, it is incumbent upon management, from a legal perspective, as well as a moral and cultural perspective to offer employees a safe workplace environment.

On the flip side, what happens to a work culture when there is not an effective way of mitigating harassment? How does it impact employees?

The cost to a company that has no mitigating policies for workplace bullying or sexual harassment can be huge. Workplace bullying can create a hostile work environment, impact workers compensation claims, promote absenteeism, and reduce productivity.

In your opinion, why is sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace and in our schooling systems still so hard to prevent in a modern and advanced society? What are the root causes of workplace harassment?

I believe that we have as a culture, not taken a strong enough stance against it. Our culture, including social media, entertainment, etc. has too much leeway in what we allow when it comes to examples of sexual harassment and bullying. We constantly hear of cases of workplace or school shootings resulting from bullying. When people hear of these behaviors it can cause copycat behavior or they feel they will be famous and glorified in the media.

Every company needs a strong, well-written company policy against bullying and sexual harassment that spells out exactly the definition of each and the penalties that will ensue if the policy is violated. and we need to train our leadership and supervision on it. Most of all we should not tolerate these behaviors to any degree or on any level. Too many people turn their heads and don’t report it which only limits the enforcing against it.

On a societal level, what can we do to help rectify those root causes that lead to bullying and harassment?

It all comes down to the simple “see or hear something…say something!”. We do need to take the stigma out of reporting it. People need to know that it is OK to report it without fear of reprisal.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “Five Ways Every Team Leader Can Help Eliminate Workplace Bullying and Harassment”?

1. Training! Training your employees and your managers is imperative to make sure everyone understands exactly what workplace bullying and harassment encompasses. Management also needs to understand and be clear about what they are looking for from their training programs.

2. Develop and enforce a no tolerance policy. It should be in writing and should clearly state what is considered bullying and harassment and any penalties for violating the policy. Additionally, it must be distributed to every employee. This is very important.

3. Be aware of what is happening in your company. Know when your employees may be experiencing something that changes their behaviors. Employers need to know the signs of workplace bullying or sexual harassment. These can include but are not limited to excessive absenteeism, employees avoiding co-workers, employees who seem like they are not getting credit for their work product or an employee who always seems to take credit for other’s work product, an employee being yelled at or bullied, signs of sexual harassment either in the workplace or even online, you must take action. It is important to be aware but also to take immediate action if there is a report or obvious signs of these behaviors. There needs to be an immediate investigation which can be conducted internally but, in many circumstances, may be better conducted by an outside firm who is neutral and can put employees at ease when discussing the situation. My firm often conducts these types of investigations and we have found that employees, victims, and others are more likely to come forward when speaking to an outside firm. We also know how to document and report our findings.

4. Take your head out of the sand! One of the biggest mistakes we have seen over the years involves companies who think it will not happen to them. In these cases, we see the bullying or harassment situation has become out of control and these firms are experiencing loss of employees, poor morale and company culture and that they even can have a difficult time in hiring new employees as the company reputation has been negatively affected.

5. Lastly, it is important that a company make sure that there is a consequence for any negative behaviors in the workplace, school, etc. The consequence is important is establishing that the company is taking an active role to provide a safe workplace environment.

What measures or indicators can leaders look for to know their efforts in combating workplace bullying and harassment are successful?

As I mentioned earlier, it is important to have a good handle on your company culture and on your employees. If your employees seem happy and they are staying at your company instead of leaving for other jobs, you probably have a positive workplace culture. Employees need to feel secure and valued so if they stay with you, your efforts are most likely successful.

How important are company policies in preventing workplace bullying and harassment, and what should these policies entail?

Policies are very important! Every company — no matter the size- needs a written policy. These policies should be reviewed in person and with employee’s input. It is also important that companies let their employees know that the policies exist and that they will be enforced across the board.

Can you discuss the importance of bystander intervention in cases of workplace bullying and harassment? How can leaders encourage this practice among team members?

This is often a difficult part of the support that leaders can offer. Employees need to be told that ownership and management support bystander intervention and input. They need to feel that they can come forward and report a situation with fear of any reprisal. Companies may want to institute a blind reporting system or other means of reporting an issue. Bystander intervention can go a long way towards prevention of bullying or sexual harassment and employees should feel like they are supported and that their intervention is welcome.

What support mechanisms should be in place for those who experience bullying or harassment at work? How have you or your organization ensured such support?

A good reporting system is very important. Along with that, an immediate response and willingness to investigate, no matter how small the violation, is a clear indication by the company that they will not tolerate bullying or sexual harassment of any kind. When investigation claims, the investigating party needs to be neutral and document any and all evidence with a timeline and interviews of bystanders, witnesses, involved parties, etc.

We often are called in to conduct these investigations as we pose no threat or bias to the victims, witnesses, management or others.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Overall, I would like to see a universal system that responds to negative and/or criminal behavior structured so that there is a consequence to wrong actions. I would design it so society and employees really believe that a there will be a consequence to these behaviors. The absence of this belief among society has significantly deteriorated our culture and our workplaces!

How can our readers further follow you online?

Your readers can contact our office and sign up on our contact list for periodic updates, research, etc. Our office number is 330–255–1101 or they can visit our web site at www.sacsconsulting.com. I also write a blog that can be followed on www.timothydimoff.com. I am also on twitter — Timothy Dimoff @TimothyDimoff

and other social media sites.

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!