By Lynn Hagan, PsyD, CTRL, LCSW
Introduction
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, and contractors.
A variety of actions in the work environment can trigger or cause workplace violence. It may even be related to non-work situations such as domestic violence or “road rage.” Workplace violence can be inflicted by an abusive employee, a manager, supervisor, co-worker, customer, family member, or even a stranger.
Each year employers in the United States report 2,000,000 assaults in the workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, nearly half a million of these are seriously injured; 51,000 are reported raped or otherwise sexually assaulted; and 1,000 are murdered. These numbers do not include the thousands of employees who are verbally abused through intimidation, harassment, and other forms of threats. Homicide is the primary cause of death of women in the workplace.
Workforce violence in the United States mirrors the general statistics. More Americans are murdered at work than die at work from any other cause. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports 1,000 workplace homicides per year and when adjusted for estimated incidents not reported to OSHA exceeds 1,500 per year. Assaults in the workplace are estimated by OSHA at 2 million per year with other estimates as high as 10 million per year. Sexual assaults in the workplace are estimated by OSHA at 51,000 per year with other estimates as high as 500,000 per year.
Economics of Workplace Violence
Top management is just now starting to recognize the enormous financial consequences associated with an incident involving workplace violence. The three most affected areas are costly litigations, lost productivity, and damage control.
Lost productivity following an incident is frequently underestimated. Losses in productivity occur throughout the enterprise, with decreases of up to 80 percent for up to two weeks immediately after the incident. Losses are caused by the unavailability of the murdered or injured worker; work interruptions caused by police and internal security investigations and damage to the facility; time lost by surviving employees talking about the incident and the details leading up to it; decreased efficiency and productivity due to post-traumatic stress syndrome; and time spent by employees in counseling sessions.
The statistics are staggering when the effects of such violence are measured in dollars and cents. Workplace violence results in 1,175,100 lost work days annually, $55 million in lost wages annually, lost productivity, legal expenses, property damage, diminished public image, and increased security costs.
Logistics of Workplace Violence
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lists specific occupational categories as having the highest risk for experiencing violence and serious injury or death. These include, but are not limited to those involving:
- Contact with the public and having an exchange of money
- Delivery of passengers, goods, or services such as a taxi, police cruiser, or delivery truck
- Community service such as health care, social service, or criminal justice settings
- Working late at night, during early morning hours, and working alone or in small groups
According to OSHA, there are four types of hostile acts in the workplace. These include:
Type I: Criminal Intent Violence
- Acts by those who have no interest in the workplace other than robbery or other crime,
- The perpetrator does not have any legitimate business relationship with the establishment;
- The primary motive is usually theft;
- A deadly weapon is often involved, increasing the risk of fatal injury; and
- Workers who exchange cash with customers as part of their jobs, work late-night hours, and/or work alone are at greatest risk.
Type I is the most common source of worker homicide. According to OSHA 85 percent of all workplace homicides fall into this category.
Type II: Customer/Client Violence
- Acts by customers, clients, patients, inmates, or any other person for whom the organization provides service,
- The violent act usually occurs in conjunction with the worker’s normal duties; and
- The risk of violence to some workers in this category (e.g., mental health workers and police) may be constant and even routine.
In Type II incidents, the perpetrator becomes violent during the course of a business transaction or business relationship. These acts of violence can occur long after the business relationships have ended. Type II workplace violence accounts for 3 percent of annual workplace homicides.
Type III: Worker on Worker Violence
- Acts by a current or former employee against supervisors or coworkers,
- The motivating factor is usually related to interpersonal or work-related disputes.
Type III incidents often take place after a series of increasingly hostile behaviors from the perpetrator. Type III violence accounts for about 7 percent of all workplace homicides.
Type IV: Personal Relationship Violence
- Acts by someone who has a personal relationship with an employee, such as an abusive partner.
- Generally perpetrators are not employees or former employees of the affected workplace;
- The conflict is a spillover of domestic violence into the workplace; and
- The targets are women more often than men, although both male and female co-workers and supervisors are affected.
Type IV incidents typically occur when an employee’s current or former spouse or significant other appears at the employee’s workplace and engages in hostile behavior. Victims are overwhelmingly, but not exclusively, women.
Identifying Potential Violence
By some estimates, 85 percent of employees exhibit early warning signs before becoming violent. Research into hundreds of workplace violence incidents reveals that, in each case, the aggressor exhibited multiple pre-incident indicators. There is no sure way to predict human behavior and, while there may be warning signs, there is no specific profile of a potentially dangerous individual. The best prevention comes from identifying any problems early and dealing with them. However, there are warning signs that can be identified as indicators of potential violent behavior:
- Intimidating, harassing, bullying, belligerent, or other inappropriate and aggressive behavior,
- Numerous conflicts with customers, co-workers, or supervisors,
- Bringing a weapon to the workplace (unless necessary for the job), making inappropriate references to guns, or making idle threats about using a weapon to harm someone,
- Statements showing fascination with incidents of workplace violence, statements indicating approval of the use of violence to resolve a problem, or statements indicating identification with perpetrators of workplace homicides,
- Statements indicating desperation (over family, financial, and other personal problems) to the point of contemplating suicide
- Direct or veiled threats of harm
- Substance abuse, and/or
- Extreme changes in normal behaviors.
Protection from Workplace Violence
Employers have an obligation to maintain a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees. Encompassed within this general requirement is an employer’s obligation to do everything that is reasonably necessary to protect the life, safety, and health of employees, including the adoption of practices, means, methods, operations, and processes reasonably adequate to create a safe and healthful workplace. While a workplace can not be guaranteed to be 100 percent free of violence, certain steps can be taken to work towards a safe, productive environment.
Environmental
Provide a secure environment through the use of such things as adequate lighting, secure entrances/exits
Administrative/Operational
- Responsible hiring through adequate screening
- Responsible supervision in recognizing warning signs and taking appropriate action
- Maintain and practice a critical response plan for when violence does occur
Behavioral/Interpersonal
- Staff training
- Management training
- Adequate and appropriate use of Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
If Workplace Violence Occurs
Remember, not all workplace violence is predictable or preventable. Post-incident plans are designed to minimize the impact on employees and their families and to prevent reoccurrence. While victim support is of primary importance, the other employees and family members touched by the incident are also in need of services. Services for both primary and secondary survivors of trauma should include:
- Medical treatment, critical incident stress debriefing, counseling, and rehabilitation
- Grievance procedures
- Grief and loss counseling
- Reporting and recording of the incident
- Continued followup
If you are the victim of workplace violence and are having difficulty with the feelings and emotions, follow-up with a mental health professional or your Employee Assistance Program.
Further Information
There are several online resources that provide detailed information related to workplace violence.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Centers for Disease Control
- The National Institute for the Prevention of Workplace Violence
