Preventing Violence In The Workplace

People nowadays face different pressures stemming from family commitments and work obligations

, which sometimes leads to stress at home or in the workplace. When people carry their personal stress to the workplace there is bound to be acts that may threaten the peaceful coexistence, hence leading to violence in the workplace. Also when people work in environments that have security concerns, they are bound to be involved in instances that can threaten their safety.

Violence is an expression of physical or verbal force against self or other people that can hurt or cause pain. World over violence is used by the aggressors as tools of manipulation and intimidation.

Violence in the workplace is becoming a common occurrence and is considered a serious safety and health issue that in the extreme form, may lead to fatal occupational injury. Violence in workplace can occur at the workplace or outside and it ranges from threats and verbal outbursts to physical assaults and in some extreme cases, it may end up in homicide.

World over many workers are at the risk of facing the many forms of violence in the workplace but those workers who handle money or exchange money with the public stand at a high risk of getting assaulted. These include security guards, healthcare and social service workers, taxi operators, community and social workers in crime invested areas among others.

Most of these workers are killed during robberies where they are encounter violence either by getting caught in cross-fire or are killed while in the line of duty. A majority of this killed during robberies, a greater number are those who in the retail trade such as convenience stores, bars, gas stations, and fast-food restaurants. Others are those who work in the service industry which includes taxi service, hotels, auto repair, and guard services. The rest are caught in workplace homicides or they face violence from vindictive customers and co-workers or from angry relatives and acquaintances.

There is also increasing cases of people getting attacked in the presumably safe havens like in the premises of private offices. In the office setting the targets are in most cases co-employees and people in senior management positions. Many instances have been reported where a worker goes on shooting spree on fellow workers. This is sometimes attributed to personal stress that gets a vent in the office. In other instances, because of work related reasons, a worker can plan to harm another one for reasons best known between the two.

To prevent instances of violence in the work place, employers should establish zero-tolerance policy towards workplace violence and also a workplace violence prevention program to check on any instance that can disrupt the peaceful coexistence in the workplace.

It is also important to educate the workers to know violence in the workplace is a criminal offence that is punishable in law. Employers should be taught to know about fair employment practices, relationships, discrimination, the effects of alcohol and drug abuse, as these are some of the triggers of violence in the office. Equally, the managers need training on how to deal with problematic workers fairly and with dignity because when it is not done properly, it can trigger more violence in the workplace.

by: Ryan Fyfe

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