Safety isn’t a sexy topic, but it’s a necessary one. And when done well, it can have an empowering effect on individuals and create a cohesive attitude of community and teamwork. We all want to be safe AND we can look out for the safety of others.

Whether traveling abroad or here in the U.S. our personal safety is never guaranteed. But just like anything that we want to improve in our lives, practicing certain habits consistently can help increase your chances of survival and even avoidance of dangerous situations.

After teaching self-defense and personal safety for the past two decades, I’ve noticed an uptick of fear in this country in the last year and a half. I’ve been contacted by Fortune 500 companies and smaller businesses in every industry imaginable to present my personal safety programs more than ever before.

HR leaders share with me that employees are requesting self-defense workshops as they slowly begin to commute, travel and head back to life as we used to know it. We’ve all seen reports of unhinged passengers in the air as well as random acts of violence on the ground. As leaders in your industry, it may be time to address the elephant in the room: your employees’ fears. Here are three ways how to speak to your employees about personal safety:

1. Acknowledge the discomfort.

When it comes to safety, there’s a very fine line between empowering people and instilling paranoia. Which is why over the years I’ve added disclaimers and trigger warnings to audiences before speaking on certain topics. Give people a heads up that the following discussion may be uncomfortable and give them an option to opt out. If you want to warn people of a certain danger while traveling or working, be sure to give them tools on how to do that and always end on a positive note.

2. Create a safety mindset for your team.

Awareness is the cornerstone of personal safety. With heightened awareness, one can avoid dangerous situations when possible and have the opportunity to be a bystander for someone else in danger. A safety mindset encourages behaviors like practicing situational awareness, setting boundaries, and keeping distractions to a minimum. As a visual representation of NOT practicing those skills, I often refer to the report on the large number of Apple employees who were so engrossed in their phones that they were walking into the glass walls of the office. Being aware of your surroundings, your space in relation to others, and tuning into your intuition when interacting with the public are your greatest tools for safety. Remind your teams that they all have this gift at their disposal.

3. Equip them with tools and resources.

Too often we’ve seen businesses, universities and even places of worship avoid difficult conversations and even do their best to sweep safety incidents under the rug and hope they won’t see the light of day. With any danger in life, it’s best to practice prevention rather than running after a problem once it’s occurred. Get ahead of potential danger for your employees by asking them about their safety concerns. Send out a survey. Create a safe way for employees to express their personal safety fears. Then gather the tools and resources to equip them with knowledge and skills to avoid danger or protect themselves when needed.

Just remember, the worst possible way you can speak to your employees about personal safety is not doing it at all.