Violence in the Workplace

Violence in the Workplace Paper
University of Phoenix
SYS/560: Conflict Management Systems
Workshop 2
March 16, 2004

Violence in the Workplace Paper Violence in the workplace is a serious and problematic issue plaguing corporate America. Workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against employees or the organization. “According to the Occupational Safety and health Administration (OSHA), it can occur at or outside the workplace and can range from verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide (Zinkewicz, 2003).” Workplace violence can have devastating consequences. In fact workplace violence is one of the primary workplace hazards leading to fatalities and even death. This paper will define workplace violence and where it exists. In addition this paper will illustrate how workplace violence is manifested. Lastly, the writer will identify and discuss trends. Definition of Violence Violence according to Dictionary.Com (2004) is physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing. The definition of workplace violence goes beyond the definition provided by Dictionnary.com. According to the writer, workplace violence should be defined as any action that may threaten the safety of an employee or the organization and its stakeholders. Threats can manifest themselves both verbally and physically causing either physical or psychological damage. “Simply stated, workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against workers (Zinkewicz, 2003).” According to the USDA Handbook on Workplace Violence Prevention and Response (1998), workplace violence can be any act of physical violence, threats of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening, disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. Workplace violence can affect or involve employees, visitors, contractors, clients, and consumers. Violence is often triggered by a host of preceding events which causes workplace violence. Whatever the cause or whoever the perpetrator, workplace violence should never be accepted or tolerated (USDA, 1998). Where does it exist? Violence occurs in almost every organization or institution. No one is immune in society to the dreadful acts of violence nor does that change in the workplace however, some industries are more susceptible. In every industry, some type or level of violence exits. Despite the efforts of companies to protect their employees, violence still occurs and can strike any one at any time. Violence in the workplace is a serious issue affecting the safety of all within an organization. Data from the National Crime Victimization Surveys (NCVS) indicates that over two million people were victims of workplace violence. Motor vehicle and homicide are the most fatal of violent workplace crimes. Simple assault accounts for the majority of violent crimes that are work-related. Law enforcement, more specifically police officers, account for the largest rate of occupational violence. Retail sales and the service industry follow closely behind. Despite the occupation or industry research indicates that 40% of the victims knew their assailants. Among the victimized, males tend to outnumber women and males are ore likely to perform violent acts upon others. Data shows that over 60% of the victims are white between the ages of 25-49 (BLS, 2003). This can represent almost any place of work. Manifestation Headlines display dreadful acts of violence everyday. These events usually are in someone else’s workplace and are manifested through outbursts which cause others harm. The last few years have brought forth acts so appalling and unimaginable. Society has seen everything from bombings of the World Trade Center and the Oklahoma Murray Federal building to guns in the schools of Columbine and Santee High School. The infamous Edmond Post Office massacre is yet another manifestation of workplace violence. Recently the University of Phoenix experienced workplace violence of an attempted rape and a bomb threat. Beyond the major events are the day-to-day conflicts which can be harmful to the employee, customer and the organization; threatening emails, fist fights, physical and sexual assaults, verbal abuse, sexual harassment, insults, stalking, road rage and homicide. Despite the efforts to curtail violence in the business arena it remains an issue affecting company’s bottom lines and their employee’s health. “While employers can’t protect employees from all of the world’s ills, they certainly can take important steps to increase both the actual security if their workplaces and the send of security for employees (U.S. Newswire, 2004).” Companies who institute workplace violence prevention programs are more apt to have control in diffusing potential violent occurrences before they arise. Trends Upon reviewing the data, the trend is that workplace violence is going down despite the headline news. This is in pat due to the fact that companies are taking a more proactive stance. In most situations there are precipitating events or conditions that usually trigger violence that occurs on the job. Based upon the findings it is clear that males usually manifest their anger inappropriately, thus, leading to workplace violence. Given the data, it is clear that retail and service industries must implement some form of training to recognize potential threats of violence. Police officers, who had one of the highest rates of violence on the job, knowingly enter into the field and are equipped to handle the threats or acts of violence. Conclusion Workplace violence is a pervasive and sometimes a deadly phenomenon. The aftermath of the horrifying events of the World Trade Center left American workers feeling insecure. “Fueling those fires is the constant bombardment of media accounts discussing the likelihood of future terrorist attacks. While such efforts might begin to address the outside threat, it does little or nothing to address the threat from within - violence from within our own ranks. The internal workplace violence threat has been with us long before the terrorist attacks and will linger long after. This threat is a more complex than the outside threat. The threat in this instance comes from one of our own - a person we have entrusted with an access key allowing him into our midst (Chavez, 2004).” Companies must be proactive in their measures to ensure a safe environment. This can be done by instituting policies and procedures, which lay out plans for detection and prevention. A written plan should specifically address each of the stages of an incident. “These can address preventive measures prior to an incident; procedures for dealing with an incident in-progress; and post-incident management, after it’s over. How each of these is handled plays a significant role in how much the incident will cost, in dollars, injuries and ultimately lives (Thedocandthecop.com).” In addition, training should be implemented to all staff to discuss the warning signs of workplace violence and to inform employees that violence will not be tolerated.
References
BLS (2003, Sept). National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2002. Retrieved online http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf
Chavez, L. (2004). Workplace Violence, An Overview. Retrieved online March 13, 2004 at http://members.aol.com/endwpv/resume.html
Dictionary.com (2004). Retrieved online March 14, 2004 at www.dictionary.com.
OSHA (2001). Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure and major private industry division. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved online March 12, 2004 at www.osha.gov.
Sygnatur and Toscano (2000). Work-related Homicides: The Facts http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/archive/spring2000art1.pdf
Thedocandcop.com (2004). Energetic Solutions To Conflict Resolution, Aggression Reduction, and the Prevention of Violence (Conflict, Aggression, and Violent Energy (C.A.V.E.). Retrieved online March 15, 2004 at http://www.thedocandthecop.com/thedocandthecop3.html
U.S. Newswire (2004, Jan.). SHRM Finds Employers Are Increasingly Conducting Background Checks to Ensure Workplace Safety. Washington: Jan 20, 2004, 1.
USDA (1998). The USDA Handbook on Workplace Violence Prevention and Response. Retrieved online March 15, 2004 at http://www.usda.gov/news/pubs/violence/wpv.htm
Zinkewicz, P. (2003). Violence in the workplace a growing threat. Rough Notes. Idianapolis: Nov 2003, 16 (11), 70.