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On November 8, 1991, Thomas McIlvane lost the arbitration ruling that upheld his termination of employment. Six days later, he lay mortally wounded on the floor of the post office where he had worked. He had shot and killed four supervisors and then fired a bullet into his own head. The common expression, "going postal," was born of this event.
Since this situation, there have been many other violent acts in both the workplace and schools. In 1993, the U.S. government officially recognized violence as a workplace hazard and has directed employers to take precautions.1 While there are no guarantees that workplace violence can be totally prevented, employers can better educate themselves on what may trigger acts of violence and take measures to reduce the risk.
Types of Violence
Workplace violence includes verbal threats, vandalism of company property, physical striking of co-workers, rape, suicide, arson, sabotage and use of weapons. Not only can these acts physically and psychologically harm employees, they also affect productivity, morale and turnover, and create negative publicity.
Workplace violence falls into three categories.2 The first, and most common, is violence committed by someone who is unrelated to the workplace. This includes armed robberies and assaults on workers transporting money and goods. A 1993 U.S. government study showed that 75 percent of all workplace homicides involved robberies and others crimes against workers in high-risk situations such as retail, taxicab, and armored car services. Police officers and security guards killed in the line of duty accounted for another 19 percent.3
The next category, violence committed by people who are related to an employee, accounts for the greatest proportion of serious, nonfatal injuries in the workplace. Examples are domestic and partner violence including harassment, stalking and murder. In health care, it often includes assaults on workers by patients and threats by angry or frustrated clients or customers. Women are particularly at risk: Homicide is the leading cause of occupational death among women.
Finally, workplace violence may be between employees, accounting for about 6 percent of fatalities at work.4 This is more commonly threats than fatalities, but the perception that someone from within the workplace may become violent is frightening.
Sources of Violence
In "Preventing Workplace Violence" Mark Braverman says that violence is one of four outcomes of unbearable stress.5 Anyone can become violent when the relevant conditions exist. The other outcomes are serious or chronic physical illness, emotional breakdown or suicide.
Furthermore, the person, the situation and the setting all play a role in violent behavior. An at-risk person may demonstrates interpersonal dysfunctioning, such as: a history of violence or an unsuccessful personal history, poor impulse control, substance abuse, mental illness, interest in weapons or a preoccupation with violence, a tendency to blame others or situational stresses.
Risky situations are those that make the person feel powerless, such as: loss of employment or job security, a demotion, injury or illness and rejection.
Finally, settings or work environments with the following attributes may invite workplace violence:
Allow levels of violence to occur
Have an authoritarian/autocratic management style
Have changeable/unpredictable supervision
Undervalue the work and dignity of employee
Frequently invade privacy, have a high degree of secrecy, or make more demands with less support
Have communication problems between management and employees
Inconsistent policy, rules, discipline and decision making
Lack of mutual respect between employees
Ineffective complaint procedure and managers not investigating concerns
Ideas discouraged or credit misplaced
Unfulfilling work atmosphere
Insufficient attention to physical environment and security measures
Poor management of layoffs, downsizing and terminations
Management's dictating change with no employee involvement
Domestic violence brought to work
Inadequate interpersonal relationship skills
Individual and company denial of problems.
Unfortunately, the business reality is that companies are faced with increased competition, increased stress, job insecurity, constant change, mergers/takeovers, reorganization/re-engineering, greater productivity demands, and economic instability. These realities create an even greater need for effective management practices.
Prevention and Intervention
A manager's role is crucial in helping to prevent workplace violence. The following are some tools for prevention and intervention.
Monitor employee behavior. Look for the warning signs of violence, such as:
attendance problems, decreased productivity, inconsistent work patterns, poor on-the-job relationships, social withdrawal, concentration problems, poor health and hygiene, unusual/changed behavior, fascination with guns or other weapons, evidence of drug or alcohol abuse or other self-destructive behavior, evidence of serious stress in personal life including family/marital problems, continual excuses/blame, unshakable depression, paranoid disorders, bruises.
Also watch for employees who are chronically disgruntled, angry with little outlet for the anger, quick to perceive unfairness or malice in others, often challenge management's requests (either passively or actively), cause trouble on the job, refuses to take responsibility for problems, changes jobs frequently, keeps track of others who violate company policy to use as a defense if disciplined, or who signs of controlling spousal behavior (Has to leave at a certain time because spouse would become angry).
Immediately address inappropriate behavior and performance. By not addressing and stopping inappropriate behavior, the company is condoning it. Establish a zero tolerance workplace violence policy, which includes reporting concerned behavior to management. Training on this policy should include levels and sources of violent behavior and warning signs.
Address all levels of threatening behavior. Violence takes many forms and falls into three levels.6
In level one, an employee may refuse to cooperate with his immediate supervisor, spread rumors and gossip, consistently argue or behave belligerently with co-workers or customers, constantly swear, or make unwanted sexual comments.
At level two, he or she may argue increasingly with co-workers or customers, disregard company policies and procedures, sabotage equipment and steal property for revenge, verbalize wishes to hurt co-workers or management, send sexual or violent notes to co-workers or management, or see himself or herself as victimized by management.
By level three, the employee has frequent displays of intense anger resulting in recurrent suicidal threats or physical fights, destruction of property, weapon use, murder, rape, or arson.
Take all threats and complaints seriously and investigate them. Promptly investigate so that appropriate action can be taken immediately. Delaying will only cause more problems. The investigation process is similar to investigating a sexual harassment complaint: Document intimidating, hostile, violent occurrences along with management's action.
During any employment action, maintain the self-esteem of the employee. Do not verbally attack the employee with belittling remarks or names. This can only aggravate the situation and could create threats and acts of retaliation. Address the behavior and performance issue only.
Keep open communication with your employees. Listen to your employees' concerns about the company, their jobs, coworkers and customers. Employees who act out against their employer often think their position was ignored or they were not adequately given the chance to explain or discuss their concerns.
Contact your manager immediately when a violent or potentially violent situation occurs. Depending on the situation, various resources such as the company's attorney, law enforcement officials, employee assistance program, a violence assessment expert and/or community agencies may need to be used. In domestic violence situations, offer resources to the employee, but do not advise him or her what to do. Also, take any precautionary security measures in the workplace.
In the 1991 post office killings, there were numerous warning signs. Inappropriate behavior was not dealt with firmly from the beginning; verbal threats weren't investigated; there was no anti-violence policy or procedure. A lack of communication existed among people who were working with the situation; and managers, union officials, and law enforcement agencies delayed taking action.
If we only knew then what we know now. Over the last ten years, companies have become more educated in the area of workplace violence. Managers need to have yet another tool in their kit to effectively manage in today's society. There will be even more to learn in this management area in the years to come as the workplace continues to redefine itself.
Sue Romero is a human resources consultant specializing in employee relations issues, manager coaching, and management training. She has over 20 years experience coaching managers on enhancing their effectiveness. Her website is: www.romeroconsulting.com
References
1. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1993.
2. California Occupational Safety and Health Administration Cal/OSHA, 1995
3. Toscano G., & Weber, W. (1995, April). Violence in the Workplace. Washington, DC: US Department of Labor Statistics.
4. Barab, J. (1996a). Public employees as a group at risk for violence. Occupational Medicine: State of the Art Reviews, 11, 257-267.
5.Braverman M. Preventing Workplace Violence. SAGE Publications, 1999.
6. Baron A. Violence in the Workplace. Pathfinder Publishing, Ventura, Ca., 1993.
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