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Workplace violence



Workplace violence refers to violence that originates from employees or employers and threatens employers and/or other employees.


 


The definition of work related violence that has received pan-European acceptance is as follows: “incidents where people are abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work, involving an explicit or implicit challenge to their safety, well-being or health”.


 


This establishes violence as a behaviour with the potential to cause harm. Broadly speaking there are three forms: - Non-physical violence (intimidation, abuse, threats etc) - Physical violence (punching, kicking, pushing etc) - Aggravated physical violence (Use of weapons, e.g. guns, knives, syringes, pieces of furniture, bottles, glasses, etc)


 


Violence in all its forms is a concern for staff and management alike. For employers, violence can lead to poor morale and a poor image for the organisation, making it difficult to recruit and keep staff. It can also mean extra costs, such as those associated with absenteeism, higher insurance premiums and legal fees, fines and compensation payments where negligence is proven.


 


For employees, violence can cause pain, distress and even disability or death. Physical attacks are obviously dangerous but serious or persistent verbal abuse or threats can also damage employees’ health through anxiety or stress.


Why do people actually resort to violence?

Violence is an example of what is termed ‘functional’ behaviour. That which can be used by an individual to get what they want, or to provide them with some tangible benefit. They may want faster or better service, they may desire attention or alternatively to be left alone or scare people off.


 


They may wish to acquire cash, drugs or other goods that don’t belong to them. They may crave the excitement or notoriety, or it may be the only way they can express themselves or influence others.


 


By understanding the cause of the violence we will be better able to eliminate, reduce or manage the risk of it occurring. There are four main types of work related violence.


 


TYPE 1. Criminal violence: Violence perpetrated by individuals who have no relationship with the organisation or victim. Normally their aim is to access cash, stock, drugs, or perform some other criminal or unlawful act.


 


TYPE 2. Service user violence: Violence perpetrated by individuals who are recipients of a service provided in the workplace or by the victim. This often arises through frustration with service delivery or some other by-product of the organisations core business activities.


 


TYPE 3. Worker–on-worker violence: Violence perpetrated by individuals working within the organisation; colleagues, supervisors, managers etc. This is often linked to protests against enforced redundancies, grudges against specific members of staff, or in response to disciplinary action that the individual perceives as being unjust.


 


TYPE 4. Domestic violence: Violence perpetrated by individuals, outside of the organisation, but who have a relationship with an employee e.g. partner, spouses or acquaintances. This is often perpetrated within the work setting, simply because the offender knows where a given individual is during the course of a working day.

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