Aggression and violence in the workplace is escalating due to pressure at work and insecurity and unease about job security. Acts of violence at work can be devastating to both management and employees and should be avoided at all costs.

Prevention is definitely better than cure and recognising violence-prone behaviour in a colleague or client may afford you the opportunity to prevent a tragedy.

What is happing in the workplace?

Experts agree that social issues such as poverty, ethnic and cultural differences, retrenchment, substance and drug abuse fuel the fires while excessive and graphic violence on TV, in movies and real life has made violence acceptable to some groups as a means of communication. The relative ease with which guns and other weapons can be obtained contributes to the problem.

Some of the most frequent triggers of workplace aggression and violence include the following:

    • Ridiculing a person’s opinions, especially in front of others
    • Bullying and teasing or calling someone names
    • Spreading false rumours
    • Acting in a condescending manner
    • Dirty looks or staring at a person
    • Interrupting a person while he or she is speaking
    • Ignoring someone or giving him or her the “silent treatment”
    • Turning up late for meetings run by the victim
    • Damning the person by giving faint praise or poor performance reviews
    • Indulging in verbal sexual harassment.

How to recognise an offender

Offenders fall into three distinct categories:

  1. Criminals. Someone who has no legitimate relationship to the workplace or victims but enters the premises to rob or commit some or other criminal act
  2. Current or former clients and customers of the business or of a particular employee, who harbour a grudge
  3. People who are currently employed, or were previously employed by the company, as well as current or former spouses, relatives, lovers or friends

Offenders usually display some typical behaviour patterns before committing an act of violence. Co-workers and friends who notice these symptoms should report them immediately and try to get some form of help for the person. Don’t presume that someone is just acting weirdly or that you may be “ratting” or informing on the person when you notice the following symptoms:

    • Increased alcohol or drug use
    • Depression or withdrawal
    • Outbursts of anger without being provoked
    • Unexplained absenteeism and vague physical complaints
    • Decrease in personal appearance and hygiene
    • Verbal abuse and threats or comments about suicide or death
    • Paranoia, mood swings and unstable emotional responses
    • Repeated violation of company rules and regulations and an over-sensitive response to changes in procedures
    • Preoccupation with firearms and other weapons or incidents of violence
    • Domestic problems
    • Withdrawing large sums or closing bank accounts and giving personal possessions away.

Speak to your superiors or the EAP and help save lives!

 

Sources
Mattman, JW. Preventing violence in the workplace. Retrieved from: http://noworkviolence.com/articles/preventing_violence.htm
Mattman, JW. What’s growing in the corporate culture? Retrieved from: http://noworkviolence.com/articles/preventing_violence.htm
Protecting yourself and preventing workplace violence. Retrieved from: http://www.uslawbooks.com/books/violence.htm
Veggeberg, S. Words, not bullets, make the workplace hostile. Retrieved from://www.Discoveryhealth.com