How to Eliminate Workplace Violence - Essay Example

How to eliminate workplace violence Workplace violence is an act of violence or threat of physical violence, intimidation, harassment or any other act of disruptive behavior that takes place at locations of work.; acts of violence range from physical assault to verbal abuse to homicide. Workplace violence may affect employees, clients or customers and may take place within organizational premises or in other areas where employees conduct their work (US Department of Labour). Workplace violence is a reoccurring phenomenon in the work force today. It affects any person, at any time and no one is protected from it. Certain professions increase the risks of workers being victims of workplace violence. Factors including exchange of money with the public, interaction with volatile characters, lone work or working in small groups and isolated work areas increase the probability of workplace violence occurring. Work areas with high crime rates and serving of alcohol, like in bars, also increases the likelihood of workplace violence occurring (Giraffe, 2011). Millions of American employees are subjected to work violence annually. However, many of these cases go unreported. In 2009, approximately 572,000 nonfatal crimes were orchestrated against members of the work force aged 16 years and older while at their places of work. In the same year, a reported 4 in every 1000 workers aged 16 and over were victims of violence while at work. Across the USA, workplace violence is the second leading cause of occupational injury. Individuals in certain professions are more vulnerable to this kind of violence. These include nurses, taxi drivers, mail carriers, law enforcement officers, customer service employees and utility workers. Additionally, most of these crimes are perpetrated by strangers; most of the homicides at places result from robberies (Shumaker & Feldstein, 2004). Homicides are the second leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the USA. In 2011 alone, 458 workplace homicides took place. Between 1997 and 2010, 79% of workplace homicides involved shooting and between 2005 and 2009 70% of the homicides committed were by robbers and assailants while approximately 21% were by work colleagues. Increased access to firearms by individuals play a role in the prevalence of workplace violence. Vindictiveness paired with access to firearms enables an individual to settle scores with those they believe offended them. Lax security measures, as well, create opportunities where individuals are able to access buildings while carrying firearms. In addition, the increased use of hospitals by the criminal justice system to hold injured criminals exposes working professionals to increased risks of workplace violence. Workplace violence is grouped into four categories: criminal intent, customer violence, employee on employee and personal relationships. Criminal intent refers to violent acts committed by criminals who are not connected with the work organization, but who access the property with intention of robbing it or any other crime. On the other hand, with customer violence, violent acts are committed against employees by third parties to whom the company provides services. Conversely, employee on employee violence refers to violence perpetrated by a current or former employee against a co-worker or supervisor. Finally, personal relationships violence refers to violent acts committed by an individual who does not work for an organization, but has a personal relationship with an employee (Sutcliffe, 1999). Employers bear responsibility for incidences of workplace violence (US Department of Labour). Therefore, policies on workplace violence should be enforced by the employer through relevant organizational departments. Employers should additionally comb through the backgrounds of potential employees and criminal history to measure their sustainability in the work environment and potential threats they pose to other employees in the workplace. Repeated violation of company policy should result in action against said employee in order to safeguard the wellbeing of the organization and that of other employees (Shumaker & Feldstein, 2004). In addition, organizations should develop policy statements with a clear indication of non-tolerance of violence and violent behavior at the workplace by emphasizing that reported incidents will be dealt with promptly and appropriately. The organizations should equally inform all its employees on workplace violence policies and reporting procedures. Employers ought to give directions to their employees on procedures to undertake when faced with threats and emergencies, and how to inform relevant authorities through provided avenues. In addition, organizational policy should cover employees, customers, visitors or other individuals that come into contact with organizational personnel (Sutcliffe, 1999). The organization furthermore, should establish a reporting system, like an occurrence form, that notes every incident of violence within the organization. Victims and their supervisors should fill in the form with the greatest amount of detail so as to enable investigations to be undertaken swiftly. The reporting system should ensure that the victim is protected from retaliation and prevents the recurrence of violence. Employers should give victims of workplace violence the leeway to seek legal representation when taking place in interviews pertaining to the incident. It is also the responsibility of the employers to ensure that the victim feels secure by offering the latter the organization’s full support (Sutcliffe, 1999). Additionally, organizations should ensure handbooks on workplace violence and policies are readily available to employees at all times, and that employees know how to use these handbooks appropriately. The organizations must ensure that reports of violence are handled promptly and discretely to avoid victimization by maintaining high standards of confidentiality. Similarly, members of the organization responsible for perpetrating the crime should face the full face of legal consequences and have their employment contracts terminated. The organization, should avoid bureaucracy when dealing with workplace violence; all employees must be held to similar standards of conduct and all must be dealt with standard procedure. Organizations are mandated to provide employees with a working environment that is free from hazards that are likely to cause death or serious injury to employees (Shumaker & Feldstein, 2004). In order to so, organizations should conduct on site assessment of safety and security of its buildings and offices through relevant safety and law enforcement authorities. Adequate resources ought to be allocated to safeguard the safety, security and wellbeing of employees while at their places of work. Furthermore, the organization should ensure that employee standard performance should reflect how important workplace safety and security is to the organization. This may include reviewing of driving speed and wearing of required occupational safety shoes or reflective jackets. Organizations should have strict regulations on driving speeds, identification credentials and use of appropriate walkways to safeguard employees’ wellbeing. Employers should allocate adequate resources for employee training and awareness during organization budgeting. In addition, workplace violence training should be mandatory during the orientation of new employees and supervisor training workshops. The organization should provide employees with briefings. For example, organizational statistics should be provided during annual meetings to create awareness in employees. Trainings should focus on leadership skill, which encompasses the setting and maintenance of clear standards of conduct and employee performance, addressing of employee complaints adequately, conflict resolution skills and performance counseling (Sutcliffe, 1999). Training is essential, as it equips employees and supervisors with skills and knowledge on how to do deal with potentially violent or violent situations at work. Management should hire technical experts and consultants to work with supervisors when the latter are assessing appropriate actions for given situations. In addition, the latter needs to develop skills that will help discern whether evidence provided is enough to build a case against culprits and whether the organization is justified to enforce disciplinary actions against them. Furthermore, trainers should equip supervisors with skills in critical stress debriefing in cases where violence does occur. Employees should also receive training in conflict resolution when dealing with angry colleagues and customers. In addition, they should also receive training on good communication skills that will enable them to deal with agitated parties; therefore, prevent situations from escalating to violent confrontations. All employees should have skills, which aid in the identification and evaluation of potentially volatile and harmful situations. They should identify violent, intimidating and disruptive behavior and report these incidences to relevant personnel to prevent harm to others. Organizations ought to provide Employee Assistance Counseling Programs (EACP) to help employees who have faced traumatic incidences of workplace violence. The organization should cater for the expenses incurred by employees who decide to seek EACP services. In addition, management should recommend employees to seek these services as soon as the incident is reported in order to start the recovery process promptly. Employees should receive time off after such incidences, which gives them room for recovery and prevents Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from developing due to the latter’s association of the traumatic incident to the workplace (Sutcliffe, 1999). Organizations should put in place prevention programs where they create awareness in employees on matters to do with workplace violence and reporting procedures. These programs may fail to prevent incidences of workplace violence; however, they may assist in dealing with them. Management should consultant ground supervisors when identifying problematic areas and developing of solutions to mitigate these problems. Specific stakeholders should take part in effecting organizational changes to prevent incidences of workplace violence. For example, employees should receive telephone numbers for contacting authorities in times of crisis whereby, employers should display contact information in areas that are accessible to all employees. Training programs should include aspects of the organization’s violence policy, encouragement to report incidences, skills of preventing or toning down violent situations. The training should also encourage acceptance and co-existence in the organization by equipping individuals with skills that foster understanding and acceptance of co-workers and customers from diverse backgrounds (Sutcliffe, 1999). In addition, training programs should equip employees with skills such as anger management, stress management, relaxation techniques in employees. Adequate preparation prior to the incident will enable them to deal with cases of workplace violence efficiently and aid in the prevention of panic, which may worsen situations. The reinforcement of security measures should occur during these trainings. For example, employees should receive training in ways to keep themselves safe and to identify situations or people who may threaten their safety. The security department should conduct regular security and safety assessments to evaluate levels of preparedness and identify any gaps in the organizations security measures. Provision of advice to management of potential threats identified during security assessments is important in mitigating the problem of workplace violence. They should train employees in dealing with security issues and violence intervention techniques that will help them when faced with violent situations and people. They should work with other employees to ensure that the facilities and grounds are safe for staff, customers and visitors. Opening up lines of communication for employees prevents the reoccurrence of workplace violence. Aggressors thrive on the silence of their victims and are never dealt with due to the fear instilled in their victims. Encouragement of communication in employees rallies them to fight violence at work. Communication curbs workplace violence and prevents it from escalating. Monitoring work groups during work hours highlights interpersonal relations and conflicts that may arise between employees. These should be handled swiftly and as soon as they emerge. Incidences of violence stem from unresolved conflict among people which degenerate and turn violent. In addition, monitoring, identifies individual weaknesses, which an advisor can instruct the employee to seek assistance with the Employee Assistance Counseling Programs to help them in the resolution of issues that they are facing. Paying attention to the work relations between employees aids in the identification of violent situations and their diffusion before they fester and escalate (Sutcliffe, 1999). Supervisors and members of management portrayal of model behavior motivate employees to work and handle situations in the proper manner. Employers should ensure that employees derive motivation and satisfaction from their jobs, as this is key in mitigating workplace violence. An individual who finds his work meaningful is less likely to suffer from stress and despise his employer and colleagues. When employees are frustrated by their jobs and seniors, his is more likely to act violently towards others. Airing out of employee frustrations should be encouraged by employers so as to identify employee frustrations and solutions identified and implemented. In order to avoid workplace violence when terminating an employee’s contract; employers should use honest performance measurements. Performance appraisals need to be honest and direct so as to correctly and objectively assess an employee’s work performance. Employers ought to document poor performance whereby, they ought to discuss and explain reasons for receiving negative appraisals and grant employees time to make adjustments before the termination of employment. Termination should not be abrupt; there should be fair warning of consequences if performance does not improve. Termination, especially when unexpected, can hit hard and elicit feelings of anger, which may precipitate into violent acts. Termination should be an employer’s last resort. The employer could choose to have the employees retrained or internally placed in different roles. However, a non-cooperative employee should receive an advance notice of the impending termination (Sutcliffe, 1999). Supervisors ought to not to ridicule departing employees, as this will only cause more harm to them and the employee. Departing employees should receive advice on the commencement of outplacement programs immediately to safeguard their interests. Severance packages should be generous and employers might consider maintaining medical benefits during the severance period. Withdrawal of medical benefits may hit hard especially when an employee has a dependent that largely relies on it compelling the employee to violent acts. In conclusion, being informed and prepared goes a long way in mitigating workplace violence. The formulation and implementation of policies should receive the highest priority, as this may save the organization’s resources, and its staff’s safety. Management should allocate resources towards the facilitating training, creation of awareness and publishing of handbooks. Moreover, investing in the prevention of workplace violence guards an organization against the repercussions of incidences that may arise during its operations. Protecting the interests and wellbeing of its employees provides for continued and uninterrupted operating of an organization. References Giraffe, V. (2011). Contemporary Social Problems and The Workplace. San DIego: Bridgepoint Education Inc. Shumaker, A. T., & Feldstein, A. L. (2004). Employer Laibilty For Workplace Violence. Public Management , 34-35. Sutcliffe, V. (1999). Preventing Violence in The Workplace. Occupational Hazards , 35. US Department of Labour. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2014, from www.osha.gov U.S. Department of Labor (n.d.)www.osha.gov/SLTC/workplaceviolence/ retrieved on 10 May 2014 Read More