2026 Webinar Series
Preventing Workplace Violence
in Food Retail Organizations
Reduce incidents, protect staff, and strengthen operational response
For HR, Operations, AP/LP, Risk, and Finance leaders
What You’ll Take Away
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Understand the real operational and financial impact of workplace conflict
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Identify the patterns and behaviors that lead to incidents
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Learn practical approaches for strengthening frontline response
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See how training, policy, and operations must work together
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Explore strategies organizations use to improve preparedness
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Gain direct insight from the experts behind IMA member training programs
Upcoming 2026 Sessions
Join live for interactive discussion, or access the on-demand recording afterward.
Thursday March 12, 1pm ET
De-Escalation is a Strength, Not a Weakness
When someone yells at you, it can feel like a challenge: If I don’t yell back, I’m letting them disrespect me. Most people have been taught since childhood not to “let someone talk to you like that,” so escalation feels justified — even necessary.
This session rewires that belief. You’ll learn why choosing not to respond in kind is the real power play: it keeps you in control, protects your dignity, and prevents situations from spiraling into safety incidents, complaints, and brand damage.
”View
When a customer raises their voice, many employees experience it as disrespect — not just noise. The pressure to “stand your ground” is real, and for many people it’s been reinforced for years: Don’t let anyone talk to you like that. The problem is that yelling back usually isn’t strength — it’s loss of control. It escalates risk, narrows options, and turns a manageable moment into an incident.
This webinar flips the script. De-escalation is not giving in. It’s choosing control.
Through realistic scenarios and proven response language, we’ll show how employees can:
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Recognize the internal trigger (“I’m being disrespected”) before it drives behavior
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Use calm boundary-setting that maintains authority and dignity
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Avoid emotional contagion without feeling like they “lost”
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De-escalate safely — and disengage when needed
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Protect the brand voice while protecting themselves
We’ll also connect the behavior shift to real outcomes: fewer injuries, fewer complaints, fewer social-media blowups, and reduced turnover — because employees feel safer and more confident handling conflict.
Who Should Attend
- Asset Protection / Loss Prevention
- HR & Training
- Operations & Store/Restaurant Leadership
- Corporate Security & Risk
- Finance leaders tracking injuries, claims, churn, and brand impact
Thursday May 21, 2pm ET
If You See Something, Say Something: The Psychology of Alerting
Most employees notice when something feels off — erratic behavior, a co-worker spiraling, a guest lingering too long. But fear of overreacting, being labeled “the rat,” or facing retaliation often keeps people silent.
This session turns a slogan into a psychology-informed reporting playbook — helping leaders build cultures where speaking up feels responsible, and often leads to benefits to the staff as well as the organization.
”View
Most people recognize when something doesn’t feel right. A shift in mood. A fixation on violence. A guest behaving outside the norm. A co-worker withdrawing or escalating. The problem isn’t awareness — it’s action.
The bystander effect, fear of embarrassment, and concern about retaliation often prevent employees from reporting concerns until situations escalate.
This webinar transforms “If You See Something, Say Something” into an operational strategy.
We’ll connect behavioral warning signs with situational awareness — helping teams understand:
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What’s normal here
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What’s new
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What’s wrong
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What’s worth reporting
Then we’ll move beyond theory to infrastructure.
You’ll learn how to design no-blame, low-friction reporting pathways such as:
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Anonymous tip options
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QR-based reporting tools
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Mobile-friendly forms
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Clear escalation protocols
Most importantly, we’ll explore how to shift organizational culture so alerting feels like responsibility — not betrayal — and so employees provide enough detail for leadership to act quickly and confidently.
Who Should Attend
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Asset Protection / Loss Prevention
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Corporate Security
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HR & Training
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Operations Leadership
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Workplace Violence Prevention Leads
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Ethics & Safety Reporting Teams
Date Pending
Understanding the Hidden Costs of Workplace Violence - and the ROI of training
Workplace violence isn’t just the rare headline incident. It’s daily conflict quietly eroding margin through turnover, absenteeism, legal exposure, insurance pressure, and customer churn.
This session exposes the real cost structure of everyday incidents and shows how prevention training protects both people and profit.
”View
Workplace violence rarely appears as a single catastrophic event. More often, it’s cumulative — daily moments of escalation at the front end, service desk, break room, or self-checkout that quietly compound over time.
The cost doesn’t show up in one line item. It shows up everywhere.
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Turnover and absenteeism
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Lost productivity
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Legal exposure and claims
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Insurance pressure
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Customer churn and brand erosion
Because those costs are dispersed across departments, organizations often underestimate the true financial impact of unmanaged conflict.
This expert-led session breaks down the hidden cost structure of everyday incidents and introduces practical frameworks for estimating exposure across HR, Operations, Risk, and Finance.
You’ll learn how preparedness training:
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Interrupts escalation before it becomes a reportable event
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Reduces injury and claim frequency
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Protects margin by lowering churn and turnover
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Supports stronger budget justification through measurable risk reduction
The result is not just improved safety — but defensible ROI.
Who Should Attend
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HR Leadership
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Asset Protection / Loss Prevention
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Operations & Store/Restaurant Leadership
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Risk & Compliance
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Finance leaders responsible for claims, insurance, and margin protection
Thursday July 23, 2pm ET
Managing Civil Unrest: Keeping Calm When the Street Gets Loud
When social tension spills into the streets, retailers, grocers, and restaurants can find themselves on the front line — caught between anxious communities, social-media rumors, and the very real risk of protests, flash-mobs, and opportunistic theft.
This session equips leadership teams with practical frameworks for training staff and managing an unrest crisis.
”View
When social tension spills into the streets, retailers, grocers, and restaurants can find themselves on the front line — caught between anxious communities, social-media rumors, and the very real risk of protests, flash-mobs, and opportunistic theft. Recent SNAP disruptions and viral posts urging people to “just steal the groceries” have shown how quickly fear can turn into threats against stores, employees, and customers.
This must-see webinar walks you through how to manage civil unrest around your locations with calm, coordinated action. You’ll learn how to map decision trees (when to stay open, go curbside, or close), design communication flows from HQ to the front end, and plan physical security moves that protect people, property, and brand reputation. We’ll also touch on duty of care, OSHA expectations, and other legal considerations so your response keeps you compliant as well as safe.
Who should attend: Asset Protection/Loss Prevention leaders, Operations and Store Leadership, Corporate Security and Risk, HR and Training teams, and in-house Legal or Compliance partners who support customer-facing locations.
