Environment Southland staff ‘verbally intimidated’

Environment Southland staff are being ‘‘verbally intimidated’’ on the job, and now councillors are being encouraged to do a risk assessment before engaging in events or council business.

At a meeting of the Organisational Planning and Audit Committee meeting on April 1, general manager organisational development and transformation Amy Kubrycht reported that some staff had been verbally intimidated by members of the public.

Councillors asked about the intimidation, and discussed the fact that they were in the public eye and needed to be aware of the risk of encountering concerned members of the public when they are at events.

The minutes of that meeting say a workshop will be arranged for councillors which will include de-escalation tips and the process of reporting such incidents.

Kubrycht said during the past three months, members of the public have been verbally intimidating on the phone, in the council’s reception area, and in the field towards staff. Nine cases had been reported in the last year.

‘‘Environment Southland investigates all incidents and near misses and takes appropriate action. Fortunately, we were able to resolve these situations without involving the police,’’ Kubrycht said.

‘‘We do not tolerate the intimidation of our employees in any form, whether that’s in person, on the phone, in writing or over social media.

‘‘Staff are encouraged to report all instances of this type of behaviour which we investigate and follow-up accordingly.’’

The number of intimidation incidents reported staff varied between years but overall, the council had not seen a significant increase during the past year, she said.

‘‘However, recently we have been seeing intimidation coming to us in new ways, such as on social media.’’

Frontline and field staff receive situational training and are trained in de-escalation techniques.

‘‘We also make sure our staff are empowered to leave any situation where they feel uncomfortable or unsafe,’’ she said.