Extent Causes and Impact of Workplace Violence in Canada - Essay Example

Extent, causes and impact of workplace violence in Canada Name Institution Course Professor Date Extent, causes and impact of workplace violence in Canada Introduction Workplace violence involves incidents in which there is abuse of people, issuing of threats and assault cases related to their work. The violence threatens their well being, health and safety (Zapf, 1999, 44). The scope of workplace violence involves scuffles from industrial disputes involving unions. Workplace violence can also be defined as any action, behavior, threat or sign to a person in the place of work that could result in harm, illness or injury to the victim (Einarsen, 1999, 31). Violence is therefore a kind of behavior that can bring about harm. Workplace violence exists in Canada, although it is not very much prevalent. Most cases of violence at the work place result from disagreements and conflicts over duties, relationships and resources. Violence results into injuries, damaged relationships, property destruction, psychological problems and job losses. The state and the employers should have stringent rules to apprehend those found perpetrating violence at the place of work. Employers must establish programs and infrastructure to prevent workplace violence (Einarsen, 1999, 36). This essay focuses on the extent, causes and impact of workplace violence in Canada and what the state, the employer and the individual can do to eliminate it. Extend of workplace violence in Canada Statistics Canada did a general social survey in 2004 which revealed that 17 percent of violent victimization reported by victims among them sexual violation, physical abuse and robbery took place at the workplace of the victims. This could be equivalent to more than 356,000 incidents of violence at the workplace in the ten provinces of Canada every year. Based on statistics, 71 percent of all cases reported are physical assaults. 24 percent of sexual abuse cases take place at the workplace (Tepper, 2007, 55). Men in Canada are affected by sexual assault but women carry the biggest burden. The Canadian provinces showed some differences for example 40 percent of the violent cases in Labrador and Newfoundland took place at the workplace of the victim. This proportion was twice that of the rest of the provinces in isolation. Nova Scotia recorded 11 percent while Alberta and Saskatchewan recorded 20 percent each (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 2004). Violent victimization at the workplace is bound to occur in certain sites more than others. Those employees that meet often with the public have more incidents of violence compared to those that do not meet clients often. Labrador and Newfoundland have more cases of violence in the workplace because a bigger proportion of people in these provinces do their work in areas of high risk (Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety 2012) Organizations in Canada are finding workplace violence a growing problem. Estimations show that every 1 out of six cases of violence in Canada occur at the place of work. Studies show that almost one fifth of the cases of violence such as physical assault, robbery and sexual abuse took place at the workplace. Violence at the workplace affects both men and women in equal measure. Workplace violence is prevalent in certain sectors more than others. Food services, accommodation services and health care facilities and services have more incidents of violence. Majority of incidents of violence are perpetrated by relatively young men. In most cases violence is perpetrated by people whom the victim knows. A few of the violence cases are the work of strangers. Research shows that most of the incidents are done by people not belonging to the same organization with the victim. Strangers and outsiders are the major perpetrators of violence in the place of work (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 2004). Causes of violence at the workplace Violence at the workplace could result from several causes. Indiscipline among the workers is one of the causes of violence. Workers who have no self discipline could be potential rapists, property destroyers, bullies and perpetrators of other ills on the agency and fellow employees. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety shows that certain factors could make the risk of violence at the workplace to go higher (Catano 2009, 112). Most of these factors occur in workplaces where women are in large numbers because perpetrators of violence see women as easy targets. Such factors include interacting with the public at work, handling cash and other valuables and prescription drugs. Others include enforcement and inspection activities, service provision, education, working with people that are volatile, working in areas where alcohol is sold, working in groups of few people and working in isolated places or places where there are few people. Violence may also be caused by changes in the organization such as strikes and periods of downsizing. These provide an appropriate atmosphere for violence perpetrators. Mobile places of work such as taxi cabs and community based settings also contribute to violence for drivers and social workers respectively. Violence at the workplace is prevalent in healthcare, education service, in hospitality and assistance. These fields of work have large numbers of women. Consumption of alcohol and drugs has been found to increase cases of violence in the workplace. Workplace violence in Canada is either non physical such as verbal abuse, intimidation and threats, physical such as kicking, punching and pushing or it may be physical but aggravated to involve weapons (Antoinette, Nydegger, Paludi, 2006, 67). Impact of workplace violence The management and the staff of various organizations in Canada are concerned about violence. Employers see violence as leading to low morale among the employees and painting a bad image for the organizations involved. This could give then a difficult time in recruiting and maintaining staff. Violence can also translate into extra costs through cases of absenteeism, legal fees and increased insurance premiums, compensation and fines in cases of negligence. Employees could suffer pain, disability from injuries, distress and death whenever they are victims of violence. Physical abuse is dangerous but continuous abuse through word of mouth could result into stress and anxiety that could be damaging to the health of employees (Van Fleet, Van Fleet, 2009). Physical trauma happens to be the most dangerous of the effects of violence at the workplace. Physical violence and threats must be treated seriously. Violence victims can have he port traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) problem. The disorder is mainly psychological and it affects rape and terrorism victims among other violent crime victims. Other long lasting psychological problems could be fear, lack of self confidence, irritability, depression, self blame, conflicts in relationships and lack of self motivation. Victims who are not given assistance upon reporting violence may never report it again when it happens next (Rayner, and Hoel, 1997, 111) Violence at the workplace also results in some employees being dismissed from work, suspended and prosecuted in courts of law for perpetrating the violence. Those who attack others and destroy property at the workplace can only be made to face the law in Canada. Violence in places of work can destroy the reputation of a particular organization, industry and even nation. This could have far reaching effects on other sectors of the economy of such a country. Having the reputation of workplace violence as a country could scare off investors and other expertise with an intention to work in that country (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 2004). Steps taken to eliminate work violence Canada is in the process of tackling cases of violence at the place of work by implementing provincial legislation. At present, seven Canadian provinces have regulations for fighting violence in the workplace. Ontario has become province number 8 to address violence at the workplace by implementing Bill 168. In Canada, protecting people from violence at the place of work is taken very seriously. The effects of violence could be very dangerous for the victim and the victim’s family members. Because of this, part XX of Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations outlines the steps that should be taken by employers regulated by the federal government to give protection to their employees (Privitera, 2011, 23). Part XX that deals with the prevention of violence helps to ensure that every employer puts measures in place to prevent violence from occurring in the workplace and to protect employees from violence and give them recourse if they happen to be victims of violence at their place of work. Based on part XX on employment prevention in the workplace the employer should put in place a policy for prevention of workplace violence besides identifying all the factors contributing to violence at the workplace. Employers also need to evaluate the potential for violence at the workplace and then create and implement controls to deal with the violence at the workplace or the risk of it (Ross 1995, 16). The employers should be committed to reviewing the measures being used to prevent workplace violence in their organizations. They should also develop and execute emergency notification in case there is an incident of workplace violence and work on measures to support the victims of such violence. Employers should make efforts to solve cases related to violence at the place of work and initiate investigations in the matter. They should also follow up and give information and training on the various factors causing violence to particular employees at risk from such violence. They should also keep signed records bearing information on the training given to employees (Van Fleet et al 2009, 88). A proper plan of prevention of violence should be in place in any organization to help fight violence. An organization should have a pre-employment screening program in place. With the help of the servicing personnel the employer should determine the techniques to be used, for example interview questions, drug testing and reference checking. These should be in line with relevant legislation. Security should also be part of the crime prevention strategy. It is important to maintain a safe place of work. Safety can be guaranteed through photo identification badges for employees, guarding, and coded key cards to be used by individuals accessing buildings (Kelloway, Cooper, 2011, 65). Different steps could be taken for different work settings and places. Alternative dispute resolution can also be used to solve problems in the early stages of any conflict using mediation, peer review, facilitation, ombudspersons and interest based solutions. A threat assessment team could be constituted to work hand in hand with the management to check the possibility of violence at the workplace and by this they could devise a plan for addressing it. The employers should modify the organization’s procedures and policies that bring about negative effects in their respective organizations. Employers can also install equipment for video surveillance to monitor every activity taking place in the organizational premises (Tepper 2007, 11). Employees have a responsibility as well to prevent violence in their places of work. Since employees know one another, they have an obligation to report any strange behavior among their workmates to the authorities for action. Employees should also comply with the steps taken by management and the employer to curb workplace violence. Employees should desist from engaging in violence activities such as strikes and demonstrations since these could be used by violent characters to perpetrate their agenda (Ross, 1995, 78). Workers should never work alone especially those in risky areas such as places where alcohol is served. Workers should have mobile phones and pagers with them as they go to work. This can be easy for them to communicate with others and the security forces. Employees should endeavor to get proper training so that they can know how to react while in places of violence. Every employee should be able to use a physical barrier to protect himself from a violent situation. They should make use of silent alarms and panic buttons whenever violence erupts. They should also work in areas where there is adequate lighting. Dark and badly lit areas could increase the chances of violence being carried out (Van Fleet et al 2009, 68). Conclusion   In conclusion, the essay focuses on the extent, the causes and impacts of workplace violence in Canada. Workplace violence in Canada is not so prevalent since measures have been put in place to control it. However various organizations report that the problem is increasing. Workplace violence can either be verbal or physical. It is caused by several factors including gender issues, workplace settings, and type of work being done by the victim. Certain situations are known to increase the chances of workplace violence. Such factors include handling cash, enforcing rules and regulations, providing services and interacting with strangers among others. Alcohol use and changes in the organization such as downsizing are also causes of violence. The impact of violence at the workplace can be great. Those affected include the victims, their families, the agency and even the perpetrators. All these suffer loss of property, psychological problems, physical injuries and imprisonments depending on their role in the violence. The state, the employer and the employee all have something to do to stop workplace violence. Everything possible should be done by all those involved to prevent workplace violence. Bibliography Antoinette P. M., Nydegger, R.V., Paludi, A.C. 2006. Understanding Workplace Violence: A Guide for Managers and Employees. Routledge. Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety 2012. Violence in the Workplace. Available at http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/violence.html Accessed 30 August 2012. Rayner, C and Hoel, H 1997. ‘A Summary Review of Literature Relating to Workplace Bullying’, Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, vol. 7. pp. 181-91. Einarsen, S 1999. ‘The nature and causes of bullying at work’, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 20. no. 1/2. pp. 16-27. Zapf, D. 1999. ‘Organisational, work group related and personal causes of mobbing/bullying at work’, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 20. no 1/2. pp. 70-85. Kelloway, E.K., Cooper, C.L., 2011. Occupational Health and Safety for Small and Medium sized Enterprizes. Routlege. Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 2004. Criminal Victimization in the Workplace, (online): Available at http://www.statcan.ca/english/research/185F0033MIE/2007013/findings/profile.htm Accessed on 30 August 2012. Tepper, B 2007, ‘Abusive Supervision in Work Organizations: Review, Synthesis and Research Agenda’, Journal of Management, vol. 33, no. 3.pp. 261-89. Catano, V.M. 2009. Recruitment and Selection in Canada. John Wiley & Sons. Ross I, R.1995. Violence in Canada: Sociopolitical Perspectives. Cengage Learning. Privitera, M.R., 2011. Workplace Violence in Mental and General Healthcare Settings. Oxford University Press. Van Fleet, D.D., Van Fleet, E.W., 2009 The Violence Volcano Reducing the Threat of Workplace Violence. Routledge. Read More