Workplace Violence

"Workplace violence is now recognized as a specific category of violent crime. . . "  FBI, Workplace Violence, Issues in Response.

 

It is believed that 2 million American workers are victims of workplace violence each year.  2012 statistics reflect that nearly 1 out of 5 occupational fatalities is attributed to workplace violence.  In 2011, 780 fatalities (attributed to violence) occured with men making up the majority of fatal workplace injuries.   Media coverage has a tendancy to create an impression that workplace violence is more widespread than it is.  While incidents of workplace violence are serious, the rates of workplace violence have dropped sharply since the mid-90s.

 

Whether harassment or intimidation, the threat of physical violence or other threatening behavior, the prevention of workplace violence is a major concern for employers and employees.  Employers should train managers and supervisors to recognize the warning signs of potential workplace violence. 

 

Here's a couple of basic steps you can take:

1. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.  Ensure that the employee has an outlet for frustration.  Allow the employee to vent.  If your organization offers an Employee Assistance Program, ensure employees are aware of it and can use it as needed.
2. Assess your business climate.  Be aware of what's going on in your workplace. Pay attention to unusual changes in employee behavior. Has there been any recent events which could increase the sensitivity of an employee?   (Devil's Advocate here.  A couple of questions.  Do you know the spouse's names of your employees?  How many children they have, their names?  Are they going through a divorce or other life trauma?  If you can't answer these questions, you don't know your employees.  If you don't know your employees, how can you tell if there is something wrong?)
3. Prevention.  Employees spend the majority of their lives in the workplace.  Disagreements are always going to happen, how you handle those disagreements is key.  Potential aggressors can be identified - just look for the warning signs. Warning signs can include strange behavior such as the employee becoming reclusive, erratic behavior, deteriorating appearance.  Other observable warning signs can be emotional problems and/or performance problems.

The 2012 documentary, Murder by Proxy: How America Went Postal, is framed around the USPS shootings that took place in the 80s and 90s. I found the documentary interesting as a provided the perspective of a postal carrier who survived a shooting in 1991 (Royal Oak, Michigan) and his ongoing efforts to urge lawmakers to pass legislation designed to curb workplace employee "abuse."  Not just a film about mass murders, the documentary addresses some of the underlying issues within the workforce that drove individuals to begin killing at random.   

 

In the closing minutes of the documentary, possibilities other than mass workplace shootings are considered.   James Alan Fox, Ph.D., Lipman Professor of Criminal Justice at Northeastern University, states; "Sabotage could be even more deadly and a greater risk to safety than bringing a gun to work." "It could be poisoning products, creating environmental contaminants. . . "  (September 1982 seven people in the Chicago area were killed by Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide.  I don't believe this case was ever solved, so I can proffer the scenario that this could have been the work of a disgruntled employee. )

 

The bottom line? Workplace violence needs to be proactively dealt with.   We can't completely eliminate it, but we can mitigate risk for violence by educating and training our managers, supervisors and employees.