Workplace Violence: A Case Study By Robert F. White

Workplace violence is present in every nook and cranny of corporate America, affecting millions of Americans every year. Workplace violence is defined by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, OSHA, as any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide. In 2011, there were over 2 two million reports and claims of workplace violence, with 458 being homicides1. Workplace violence is at the forefront of everyone’s mind when a breaking news story is broadcast on the evening news, such as the recent shootings in Santa Cruz, California by a disgruntled ex-cop, and the

The Work Safe Alberta does not address the issue of workplace violence in as much detail; as its singular document serves as a guide, with little or no innovative resources to effectively address different facets in which workplace violence can manifest in the

Workplace violence has become a concern for both public and private companies, and has prompted these companies to implement anti-violence programs.

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

Hatred in the work environment breeds various issues for workers. For example, representatives working in a negative situation will probably discover issues with confidence and low profitability. Also, a negative work environment can prompt high representative turnover rates. To build energy in the work environment, workers must to make a positive workplace and do what it takes to maintain and cultivate this culture. According to Yoder-wise (2011), “the definition of violence includes overt and covert behavior ranging from offensive threatening language to homicide” (Yoder Wise, 2011, p.498). Violence can be noted as the general term that represents lateral aggression,

Civility in the work place, or the lack thereof, has been identified as a growing problem within many professions in today’s society. Often referred to as lateral violence, this occurrence is no exception in the nursing profession. It is also known as ‘horizontal violence’ or ‘workplace bullying (Coursey, Rodriguez, Dieckmann, & Austin, 2013). In this evidenced-based paper, information will be provided in an effort to identify causes of lateral violence in the workplace and how to encourage civility.

Sustained exposure to violence in the workplace including aggression, abuse, and bullying can have serious physical and psychological consequences, causing some nurses to consider leaving the profession. Workplace violence, including disruptive physician behaviour, also results in decreased patient safety. Clearly, violence against nurses is an important issue among nurses, their patients and the nursing profession at large ( RNAO, iaBPGR, 2009 p.30). Likewise, the ICN report revealed that 75 per cent of nurses do not feel safe from assault in their workplace and up to 95 per cent reported having been bullied at work ( ICN,2001.p. 3).

Unfortunately, workplace violence is all too familiar for most these days. Most think of violence as some sort of physical altercation. However, it’s not only physical, but includes threatening and endangering behavior towards one, or a group of employees. In fact, you may be surprised by some of the actions that are included in workplace violence. Some that you may not think of, but they include and are not limited to: harassment, intimidation, extortion and threats. Obviously, things like assault, kidnapping, homicide, etc… Nearly two million people are involved or victims of workplace violence every year. In the United States, violence is measured with fatal and non-fatal statistics. Violence has surpassed accidental death as the leading

The Xerox shooting and the Sheraton stabbing are good examples of such violent episodes. Both incidences exhibited prior evidence of violence in the workplace; and if proper intervention by management was initiated, these tragedies could have been prevented. Therefore, employers need a good workplace violence program to protect their employees as well as their customers.

The complex and advanced healthcare system further creates stressful environments for healthcare staffs, especially nurses. What is the definition of workplace violence? Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (2002, para. 1) defined workplace violence as “violence or the threat of violence against workers”. Waschgler, Ruiz-Hernàndez, Llor-Esteben, & Jiménez-Barberoo (2013) proved the existence of nursing workplace violence in the findings of the development of the hospital Aggressive Behavior Scale. Workplace violence was divided into vertical violence and horizontal/lateral violence (Waschgler et al., 2013). Each category of violence was also divided into physical violence and nonphysical violence.

In Understand & Report the Signs of Workplace Violence, we discuss the warning signs of workplace violence

Nurses have many roles that have allowed them to provide safe healthcare for patients every day. The nurse is responsible for treating patients with all types of problems, including abuse. In addition to treating victims and their families who experience violent situations, nurses have also become victims themselves in the workplace. “Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site” (United States Department of Labor). Workplace violence against nurses has become an epidemic in today's society because nurses are failing to report violent attacks due to reprimandation from superiors, there is a false idea that violence is “just part

There are two types of workplace violence, internal and external. Internal violence is violence from someone within the company like, fights and situations between employees. External is when there is a violent interaction between employees and someone from outside of the company like, robberies or employees getting into it with customers. According to the U.S. Department of labor every year, about two million people all over the country become victims of some kind of non-fatal violent situation at work. This much violence leads to even greater and more violent situations. There are approximately 1000 workplace homicides committed every year. As an IO Psychologist it is very important to be able to recognize, control, and prevent this type of violence.

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.

The consequences and effects of violent events are difficult to measure. The respondents of a study by Fisher described feeling “scared, threatened, worried, uneasy, sleepless, unsupported, stressed, helpless, shocked, and insulted during and after the episode of violence” (1996, p.195). Effects of violence on the employer include decreased productivity, increased sick leave, workers compensation claims, litigation and other costs associated with the recruitment and retention of staff. Property damage and security costs can also be significant (Farrell & Cubit,