Introduction
Workplace violence can be defined as a wide range of behaviors that have the potential of causing injury, damage property, interfere with the normal work procedures or processes, or make managers, workers have fear for their safety. Apart from the actions that cause harm and injury workplace violence can also include threats, damages to the property of the company, or acts that sending out a signal that an employee is likely to harm himself while at the workplace.
It also includes conduct that is capable of generating a hostile working environment. This is based on the already established discrimination and harassment laws. Workplace violence has become a common phenomenon in various organizations according to surveys and statistics from various sources. In the United States, it is estimated that an estimated two million people suffer from work-related violence or threats of violence according to the National crime victimization survey.
Out of these statistics, it has come out clearly that the most common crime at the workplace is assault with approximately 1.5 million cases recorded. In 1998 around 709 homicides were recorded at various workplaces. This is according to the information from the Bureau of labor statistics. At least one employee is killed while an estimated 25 sustaining injuries in a span of one week in the United States workplaces. These crimes are perpetrated by people who are former or current co-workers.
In some cases which have occurred the attackers warn the co-workers sometimes even threatening using guns. In most cases, there is a tendency by the employers to ignore the warnings, or some underestimating the damage that can be caused by the attackers.
Statistics reveal that in most workplace violence cases, those who are in charge of security do not take the necessary prevention measures. It is not even recorded how many of the cases are reported to the police before the attacks are instigated. For instance, the security managers do not make attempts to identify the risks and it has also been observed that they do not react when employees reveal that they feel threatened. There has been an incidence in a given company whereby they hired back an employee who had been imprisoned for assaulting but to their surprise, he was also involved in a murder case later on.. (ASIS International, 2005)
Indicators of violence
Most of the perpetrators of violence use weapons ranging from rifles and pistols. For instance, in one incident a fired employee turned up at the workplace with a pistol and started firing bullets at his co-workers. After killing three people the killer lit a cigarette and handed himself over to the police.
In the lawsuit for the criminal, it was mentioned that he had criminal tendencies in the past but the management failed to put in place the necessary measures to prevent the crime from occurring.
Types of workplace violence
Incidences of workplace violence have been classified into various types based on the relationship between the perpetrators to their victims. This is in accordance with occupational health and safety agencies in the United States
Type 1 crime acts
This type is where the perpetrator has no relationship whatsoever with the organization or firm. In the course of committing another crime at the workplace, a violent act is committed. A good example is whereby in the course of a robbery in a business an assault is committed. Another example is when terrorists direct their attacks at a workplace.
Type ii customer /client violence
This occurs where the criminal is not a member or employee of that organization but he is related to the organization as a customer, patient, or client. He commits the crime while receiving services from the organization. This can be exemplified by an incidence where a psychiatric patient who is receiving treatment assaults the doctor who is giving him treatment.
Type ii acts -Worker to worker violence
These acts come up due to an employment relationship. This is where a current or former employee of organization harms threatens to harm another employee. For instance, an employees who have been fired might direct his anger to another employee who he thinks might be the cause of his dismissal
Type iv – violence resulting from personal relationships
This type of violence can come from close relationships between the perpetrator of the violence and the victim. An example of this is when an abusive partner unleashes insults or even threatens the victim while at the workplace.
Measuring violence at the workplace
Fatal cases comprise crimes such as homicide which cause harm or death to the victim. Studies have been done at various workplaces and the extent or level of crime measured. Type I violence has been observed to be occurring mostly in industries. In the year 2003, about 631 cases of homicide occurred in the United States. Areas, where this type of crime has been noted to be very common, include retail trade transportation and taxi cab. These studies have also confirmed that workplace violence affects a larger number of Americans. Most of the violent incidents go unreported
Nonfatal cases of violence are the ones that include harassment or threats at the workplace. Private studies have indicated that the perception of the employers is that workplace is a significant problem that has to be dealt with carefully.
The cost of workplace violence can also be predicted using parameters such as the cost of expenses on facilities which include medical bills resulting from the victims are all lost due to these crimes Widespread awareness on workplace violence has not to be achieved so far because of gaps which exist in the data which is already available.
The workplace has also been a point of focus in legal corners
Some aspects of the employer safeguarding the security of his employees, customers plus everybody who visits his premises also need not be left behind. (ASIS International, 2005)
Preventing workplace violence
There is a need for a multidisciplinary approach towards combating this problem.
By multidisciplinary approach issues concerning domestic violence should also be incorporated in such a strategy. The managers in charge of security should focus on issues of domestic violence that can possibly spark workplace violence.
Indicators of domestic violence include
Body injuries like bruises or broken bones and in such cases the concerned party may offer unsatisfying reasons on how they occurred. Duty absconding and absenteeism or lateness to work and inconstancies in the quality of work The employee concerned makes frequent requests for special accommodation for instance wanting to leave duty early tan expected or asking for time to attend court proceedings. Emotional distress can also be an indicator of someone who is disturbed in the house. The affected employees will tend to receive an unexpected frequent phone call or email messages and he or she is normally reluctant to respond to the messages. Another signal can be in the form of changing addresses and not wanting to disclose the current residence.
By analyzing these indictors the managers will be able to detect employees who are victims of domestic violence and thus go ahead in putting in place the necessary precautions so as to prevent disaster at the workplace.
This strategy should cover all sections of the management structure and should involve all the key stakeholders in the business.
The human resource division will play a very critical role as far as the discipline of the employees is concerned.
The security department can provide assistance to the law enforcers when an incidence of violence is reported. They can also be instrumental in providing useful information on worksite safety measures. They are definitely the first ones who should be informed in case there’s a threat or a violent incident has occurred.
Monitoring should be done with all the people who are involved in the workplace violence remaining alert for new information which may need urgent attention.
Managers in various organizations need to acknowledge that violence can occur at the workplace. These incidences can lead to injuries on the employees and even loss of life.
Employers can also play a significant role in preventing workplace violence.
This can be achieved by putting employees through lessons that can train them on the basics of the workplace and domestic violence. This can include the signs of a bad relationship.
They can also encourage their employees to work closely with their supervisors, human resources, and security personnel. This should be about security concerns and they should not fear victimization or career prospects.
Employees should learn how to get legal solutions to workplace and domestic violence.
However, it is vital to underscore the fact that even the best workplace violence plan cannot guarantee that there will be no incidence of violence
Workplace violence in its many forms poses a great challenge to many organizations.
Education and awareness creation is a very important aspect of an effective plan to tackle the problem of workplace violence.
For the program to work well it must start from the top whereby the executive officers must demonstrate commitment to a safe work environment. This should then trickle down to the employees whereby they should actively participate in the program and provide feedback to the system.
Conclusion
Therefore, there is a need for adopting a proactive and well-reasoned approach to finding workable solutions to this particular problem. The advantages of this kind of approach are so many. It should also be understood that no organization whether big or small, profit or nonprofit is immune to these acts of violence. Therefore it is vital to address the workplace violence issues either for humanitarian reasons or for legal purposes. This is for the sake of employees, customers, and all those people who are involved in the daily activities of the organizations.
References
ASIS International, Workplace violence prevention and Response Guidelines. Web.