Workplace Violence in Corporate America Essay

Workplace violence is present in every nook and cranny of corporate America, affecting millions of Americans every year. Workplace violence is defined by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, OSHA, as any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide. In 2011, there were over 2 two million reports and claims of workplace violence, with 458 being homicides1. Workplace violence is at the forefront of everyone’s mind when a breaking news story is broadcast on the evening news, such as the recent shootings in Santa Cruz, California by a disgruntled ex-cop, and the

Qualitative research is subjective data and is often used in the social sciences (Sarantakos 2013, p. 48). Qualitative research is devoted to gathering facts, this can be completed through personal experiences, behaviours, and observations (Sarantakos 2013, p. 46). The purpose of qualitative research is to gather an in depth understanding of human behaviour and the explanations for the behaviour (Martijn & Sharpe 2006, p. 1). An issue with only using a qualitative method is efficacy, qualitative studies cannot address relationships between variables with the degree of accuracy that is required to establish social trends (Sarantakos 2013, p. 46).

Workplace violence has existed throughout history. However, historical documentation of workplace violence is vague and sometimes non-existent. Documented workplace violence is believed to have existed during the Roman Empire, the Renaissance Era, and it continues today. It seems unfortunate, but as long as a “society” exists, workplace violence will more than likely exist. Therefore, employers must understand: the history of workplace violence, the effects it has on the organization, the reasons why it occurs, the warning signs, and ways to prevent it from occurring. Most importantly, it is the responsibility of the Manager, to not only understand workplace violence, but to ensure that all employees

Recently, a number of researchers have included sexual harassment behaviours in their definitions of workplace violence and aggression.

Park, M., Cho, S., & Hong, H. (2014). Prevalence and perpetrators of workplace violence by nursing unit and the relationship between violence and the perceived work environment. Journal of nursing scholarship, 47(1), 87-95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12112

The acts violence can be overt or covert verbal and or non-verbal aggression. Such act includes behaviors like gossiping, withholding information and ostracism, which are referred to relational aggression or psychological abuse. These behaviors can also extend outside the workplace and can occur in person or in cyberspace (Walrafen, Brewer, & Mulvenon, 2012). According to King-Jones (2011), the origin of lateral violence is related to the oppressed group model that supported that nurses are powerless and oppressed group. Hence, they react by over-powering other Violence in the workplace is a national concern that affects all profession, especially the nursing profession. It is a known fact that violence brings unsafe environment that has detrimental effects to the individual nurses as well and their patients (Chipps, stelmaschuk, Albert, Bernhard, & Holloman,

Workplace violence most often involves aggressive behavior towards peers, subordinates, supervisors, and other members of the workforce. This can range from verbal abuse to physical violence. Aggression may occur as a response to many situations. Common examples are when individuals face the loss of a job, are passed over for promotion, or perceive favoritism toward others in the work environment.

Unfortunately, workplace violence is all too familiar for most these days. Most think of violence as some sort of physical altercation. However, it’s not only physical, but includes threatening and endangering behavior towards one, or a group of employees. In fact, you may be surprised by some of the actions that are included in workplace violence. Some that you may not think of, but they include and are not limited to: harassment, intimidation, extortion and threats. Obviously, things like assault, kidnapping, homicide, etc… Nearly two million people are involved or victims of workplace violence every year. In the United States, violence is measured with fatal and non-fatal statistics. Violence has surpassed accidental death as the leading

The Xerox shooting and the Sheraton stabbing are good examples of such violent episodes. Both incidences exhibited prior evidence of violence in the workplace; and if proper intervention by management was initiated, these tragedies could have been prevented. Therefore, employers need a good workplace violence program to protect their employees as well as their customers.

According to the FBI, workplace violence is the number one growing homicide in the United States. There are an estimated 225,000 to 300,000 occurrences of violence each year. Despite the aforementioned statistic, some managers have simply failed to address the issue of workplace violence. Such negligence has not necessarily been purposeful. It has been due to a lack of awareness of the problem coupled with a preoccupation of everyday pressures.

Violence in the workplace has become a major safety and health issue. Workplace violence is not limited to homicide. This type of violence includes behaviors and circumstances that threaten an employee 's physical safety; such as: verbal threats, sexual or physical harassment, coercion, behavior changes, intimidation, stalking, telephone/email harassment, and history of aggression. “Workplace violence incidents have tripled in the last decade, and it is now the fastest-growing category of murder in the United States. It is also the second leading cause of death for women in the workplace (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016).” The United States Department of Justice declared the workplace as one of the most dangerous places to

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) characterizes workplace violence as a demonstration of animosity coordinated toward persons at work or on duty, extending from hostile or debilitating language to homicide. Workplace violence is a major occupational hazard for healthcare providers local and global and needs more media and public attention. A report done by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, an estimated 1.7 million workers are injured each year due to assaults at work. Although homicides rates remain low in the healthcare setting, assaults remain the highest than any other institution (Gacki-Smith, et al., 2009).

Terminations: Among the several causes of Workplace violence a major one which has appeared and grown in recent years is the termination of the

However, in some studies, negative environmental factors, which are present in the workplace, does often result in violence, specifically, if management (Calvin, 2013) does not immediately deal with it. The examination of the effectiveness of a prevention program for workplace violence will include managers' resistance to deal immediately with workplace negativity including the failure of their employees to communicate their concerns and

Workplace violence is a serious and growing issue in society. Employers need to develop intervention strategies to decrease reduce violence in the workplace. Also, employers and employees need to be aware of the signs when people exhibit behaviors that can lead to workplace violence. As a society, the issue needs to be acknowledged of the reality and work together for creating a solution. Lastly, employers and employees must not live in fear of addressing concerns if they see the potential for workplace violence or report when they witness or experience workplace violence.