CONTEXT:

45 public-facing parks department workers delivering different roles and representing different levels of seniority attended a day-long workshop on tools to defuse, de-escalate and manage difficult situations.

 

CHALLENGE:

An increase in conflict incidents between parks department employees and members of the general public. The desire to be more fully equipped to deal effectively with these situations came from the front-line workers themselves, and occurred after considerable pressure from a supportive manager.

 

OUTCOME:

Along with enhanced self-esteem and self-awareness, each participant left with a greater sense of positivity about their own skills, and an acknowledgement of how resilient they were and how to channel this further. In sharing experiences, and through collective problem-solving the participants saw the value in collaborating to address challenges and creating greater flexibility by coming up with a variety of solutions.

In equipping front-line workers with hands-on skills and validating their own experiences, the department gained fully engaged teams with the autonomy and personal empowerment to face and effectively deal with difficult situations.