If You Sense Something, Say Something

Sometimes a person or situation might make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. When this happens, it is important that you trust your gut! If you sense something, say something to your supervisor, manager, academic advisor, or human resources professional as soon as possible. If you don’t, maybe no one else will.

Remember, Awareness + Action = Prevention. Faculty, staff, and students play the largest role in preventing disruptive behaviors at work from escalating. You see what happens daily in your work area or academic setting. And, you know your co-workers or fellow students which makes it easier to identify behavior that is out of character.

Become familiar with the Johns Hopkins Continuum of Disruptive Behaviors. This tool helps us think about troubling behaviors in the work or academic environment. While behaviors don’t always progress across the continuum, we know that in some instances they do. It’s important to identify these behaviors early on and offer support. Each person is responsible for creating a professional working climate void of disruptive behaviors.

If you are concerned that the behaviors might escalate into intimidation, bullying, threats, or violence, it is important that you let someone know immediately so that the Risk Assessment Team can be notified. Your supervisor, manager, academic advisor, human resources professional or security should notify a member of the multi-disciplinary risk assessment team either in person, by phone, or using the Report a Threat or Risk form.

Report a Threat or Risk

Reported behaviors of concern and acts of violence will be responded to and handled in a manner that respects the privacy of all involved. If warranted, a thorough, systematic, and consistent evaluation will be conducted with the Risk Assessment Team [link to Risk Assessment Team] who investigates all reports and provides guidance to management.

Johns Hopkins will not permit employment-based retaliation against anyone who, in good faith, makes a complaint of disruptive behavior or act of violence, or who speaks as a witness in the investigation of a complaint.