Recent events of workplace shootings bring into the limelight the importance of workplace violence prevention efforts. While workplace shootings are a rare occurrence, they are scary and hold our collective imagination. Workplace violence such as threats, assaults, domestic violence and harassment are much more common, and often go unreported to the employer or law enforcement.
Before several mass shootings within the US Postal Service the late-1980s, “workplace violence” was not a common term. Since then, and especially after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, “workplace violence” is recognized as a specific category of violent crime. Law enforcement, employers and the community are called to respond in distinct ways. More effort has been placed on creating workplace violence policies and procedures, including educating employees and management about their roles in preventing workplace violence.
What is workplace violence?
Workplace violence is defined as any act of physical violence, threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation or other threatening and disruptive behavior occurring at the work site. Workplace violence can involve employees, managers, customers, visitors or anyone who comes into the work space. Domestic violence, gang violence or other “random” violence between strangers may follow victims to the workplace, making it workplace violence.
Workplace violence should not be accepted or tolerated. The best practices for prevention are to have a Workplace Violence policy that is clearly communicated to all staff, and to identify problematic behavior early.
What is a high risk employee?
No single behavior is an indicator for potential violence. But all behaviors should be looked at as a whole. Sometimes it is challenging for a supervisor to put a finger on what exactly is the misbehavior. An employee may make coworkers feel uneasy, but there hasn’t been an overt threat. Breaking down the employee’s behavior into objective, observable behaviors is a way to start making an assessment of a situation that may seem vague or undefinable. Once the behaviors are identified, the supervisor or manager has the language with which to speak to the employee about his/her behavior. Supervisors can address the misbehavior, without mentioning the potential for violence, with the expectation that the employee stop the misbehavior.
One example of high risk behavior is pounding the desk, slamming doors or otherwise acting out in anger in a way that intimidates people. Another example is inflexibility and controlling behavior, where a person demands work to be done their way. An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) professional can consult with management to identify these types of problem behaviors and how they may go against company policy. Addressing such behaviors early as performance issues is one of the best ways to mitigate potential violence. The employee may benefit from being offered resources through the EAP as well.
What can you do?
All employees should educate themselves on their company’s policies. Ask your supervisor or human resources professional if you don’t know where to look. It is the responsibility of all employees to report to supervisors any physical or verbal threats, disruptive behavior or suspicious strangers. Employees should not confront threatening individuals or place themselves in harm’s way; instead, they should utilize their company’s procedures for dealing with workplace threats or emergencies. This might mean calling on-site security or local law enforcement.
Managers have the responsibility of ensuring their employees are knowledgeable about specific department and company-wide workplace violence policies and procedures. Managers should take all reported threats seriously and follow any company policies that apply. This may mean consulting with leadership, human resources staff, local laws enforcement and their Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Your company’s EAP can be a valuable resource in figuring out how to identify and deal with problems. If you are a witness to, or are the victim of, workplace violence, the EAP can offer consultation around how to address the issue within and outside of the workplace. The EAP may also offer face-to-face counseling and local resources. Managers can consult with EAP professionals to come up with a plan of action to deal with any potential violence. The EAP can also provide support and resources after a traumatic event has occurred.
It takes everyone involved – employees, employers, law enforcement, EAP professionals and community members – to manage the risk of workplace violence. We can take steps to reduce the risk of violence by having policies and plans in place, by educating ourselves on the plans, and by addressing problematic behavior early.
References found on AnthemEAP.com:
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). (2001, October). What is workplace violence? In The USDA handbook on workplace violence prevention and response. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from http://www.usda.gov
McClure, L. (Reviewed 2013). Diagnosing your workplace for symptoms of violence. Raleigh, NC: Workplace Options.
Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence. (n.d.). Dos & don'ts to minimize violence. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://www.caepv.org/
Workplace Violence: Issues in Response. https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/workplace-violence.
Claire is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with expertise in body-oriented psychotherapy. She works as a Behavioral Health/EAP Consultant, providing workplace consultations to employers and assessment and referrals to clients.