Workplace Violence
According to the FBI, workplace violence is the number one growing homicide in the United States. There are an estimated 225,000 to 300,000 occurrences of violence each year. Despite the aforementioned statistic, some managers have simply failed to address the issue of workplace violence. Such negligence has not necessarily been purposeful. It has been due to a lack of awareness of the problem coupled with a preoccupation of everyday pressures.
Many managers view workplace violence as just another workplace scourge such as sexual harassment--another governmental compliance burden. Unlike sexual harassment, workplace violence has resulted in people dying and that is precisely why it must be stopped.
Sadly, far
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Personal characteristics attempt to define sex, age, and life experiences that are common to workplace violence. Behavioral characteristics can generally be considered as independent of the sex, age, or life experiences of potential individuals. A combination of these elements, personal and behavioral, helps to more precisely define the lethal employee or perpetrator (Hesket, 1996).
Based on case histories of workplace violence, researchers have developed a profile into which a significant portion of the offenders fit. Most offenders are white males between the ages of thirty and sixty years old; they have been employed with the same company for a long period of time (that is, not a new or temporary employee); the individual demonstrates a history of violent behavior, alcohol or drug dependence, and severe or chronic depression. Also, Athose who are loners, own several guns and become paranoid about others (Kurlad, 1998).@ Below are a list of 20 common characteristics of perpetrators which may predict violent acts:
1. Disgruntled regarding a perceived injustice at work;
2. Socially isolated (loner);
3. Poor self-esteem;
4. Cries for help of some kind (excessive time off,
displays conduct or performance problems);
5. Fascination with the military;
6. A gun or weapon collector;
7. Temper-control difficulties may have been observed;
8. Threats may have been made;
9. Few, if any outlets for rage;
10. Excessive interest in
Workplace violence has existed throughout history. However, historical documentation of workplace violence is vague and sometimes non-existent. Documented workplace violence is believed to have existed during the Roman Empire, the Renaissance Era, and it continues today. It seems unfortunate, but as long as a “society” exists, workplace violence will more than likely exist. Therefore, employers must understand: the history of workplace violence, the effects it has on the organization, the reasons why it occurs, the warning signs, and ways to prevent it from occurring. Most importantly, it is the responsibility of the Manager, to not only understand workplace violence, but to ensure that all employees
Recently, a number of researchers have included sexual harassment behaviours in their definitions of workplace violence and aggression.
If you are like me, you wonder where are these people working?! According to OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) certain work factors, processes and interactions put us at increased risk for violence. Examples include:
The first question many people ask when starting to develop a workplace violence prevention program is, "how can we identify potentially violent individuals?" It is understandable that people want to know this -- and that "early warning signs" and "profiles" of potentially violent employees are in much of the literature on the subject of workplace violence. It would save time and solve problems if managers could figure out ahead of time what behaviors and personality
The proposed research is an examination of workplace violence in Corporate America. As a growing concern in all industries, preventive measures need to be explored. Three types of research methods will be compared and contrasted in relation to the proposed research. The methods to be analyzed are quantitative designs, qualitative designs, and mixed methods designs. The appropriateness of each design will be examined as they relate to the topic.
And depending on the location, nature, and scope of the workplace violence, parties of concern can develop means to cope with, reduce, or eliminate workplace violence. It is also worthy to note, that the entities involved will determine the extent of any programs developed to combat the matter. For example, law enforcement agencies with reliable and extensive resources may develop a more comprehensive program, than a small private corporation, or a sole proprietor of a small company.
This does not include violence that is physical but, does make the workplace miserable and stressful. The second level of violence is unruliness, this includes, making threats or bullying other subordinates gets aggressive such as punching, kicking, throwing or damaging something out of their anger, swearing in a loud and harsh manner, showing emotional and irrational behavior when foiled, or defacing or destroying the businesses property. These behaviors do not include homicide or and physical assault. Unruliness may be because of an atmosphere of violence and in some cases they become a significantly prone to be violent. There has been research on workplace violence which tries to define the characteristics of people who are most likely to attempt destructive acts. A telephone survey of 300 subordinates had come to a conclusion that alcohol abused was positively correlated with attempting acts of violence. Heavy drinking had a positive correlation of becoming a victim of violence.I-O psychologists suggest a number of positive ways that workplace violence can be deal with, which include, that managers are trained to notice a worker who may be violent. Strenuous subordinates can be offered counseling. The supervisors can be taught a strategy to give bad news such as disciplinary actions or even termination. OSHA also came up with ideas to reduce workplace violence which involve, installing a metal detector, alarm systems, extra lighting, video camera, and bulletproof varies. Another recommendation by OSHA includes, hiring more security guards. There was a study of 225 health care professionals in Canada, the researchers had investigated two main types of organizational support which include instrumental support which is directly helping subordinates that are in
Violence can be defined as behavior which involves physical force with the intention to hurt, kill, or damage something or someone. It comes by way of emotional, sexual, physical, psychological, etc. Violence can also come in different types and in different venues in which many use to consider being safe such as a school or church. However there is one venue in which violence takes place both intentionally and unintentionally, it is the place many of us must report to daily to make an honest living and provide for ourselves and household(s). This place is none other than our workplace and in this place one could not even realize that it is happening to them due to no physical force is being presented. Workplace violence
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently released a staggering statistic which indicated there were 14,770 workplace homicide victims between 1992 and 2012. Averaging over 700 homicides per year, the largest number of homicides in one year (n=1080) occurred in 1994, while the lowest number (n=468) occurred in 2011. From 2003 to 2012 over half of the workplace homicides occurred within three occupation classifications: sales and related occupations (28%), protective service occupations (17%), and transportation and material moving occupations (13%). While homicides are the extreme example of workplace
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), " each week, an average of 20 workers are murdered and 18,000 are assaulted at work. Non-fatal assault’s at work result in millions of lost days and cost businesses’ millions of lost workdays. And the most disturbing finding homicide is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace." (http://www.ocpapsych.com/mtart4.htm). As a result, violence in the workplace has received considerable attention in the press and media and also in safety and health professionals.
Terminations: Among the several causes of Workplace violence a major one which has appeared and grown in recent years is the termination of the
The main problem I see in this scenario is the lack of management’s efforts to maintain a safe and healthy work environment for its employees. This issue has led to workplace violence and has forced employees to work in a hostile environment.
Violence in the workplace can happen to anyone at anytime, anywhere that is possible. Everyone is not safe from workplace violence, which is why we need to identify and prevent this from happening. Violence can cause a significant amount of fatalities and injuries throughout the entire United Sates. Nearly 2 million Americans are affected by assaults and violent acts by people in the workplace. Workplace Violence could also damage someone’s trust and the sense of security while working with others in the workplace. The problem of workplace violence is that it is growing and the employers and employees a very much concerned about it.
Workplace violence is a serious and growing issue in society. Employers need to develop intervention strategies to decrease reduce violence in the workplace. Also, employers and employees need to be aware of the signs when people exhibit behaviors that can lead to workplace violence. As a society, the issue needs to be acknowledged of the reality and work together for creating a solution. Lastly, employers and employees must not live in fear of addressing concerns if they see the potential for workplace violence or report when they witness or experience workplace violence.
This has become a serious concern and companies now have to take a stand to protect their employees as well as the organization. Workplace violence can have a damaging effect on a company. A company can suffer serious implications if they don’t introduce policies in the workplace that protect employees from becoming a target. Families