Workplace violence, although not as common as some might believe, is still an extremely important topic. One incident can virtually destroy a company's reputation and possibly cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars from lawsuits. To fully understand workplace violence it is important to look at what it entails, warning signs that workplace violence might occur, what your options if you notice any of these warning signs, preventative measures against workplace violence, what to include in a workplace violence prevention program policy statement, and the importance of background checks on incoming employees.
The first question that needs to be addressed is "What is workplace violence?" Workplace violence is a much bigger problem than just the assumed physical assault. It can include any act which can cause someone to feel abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted ("Canadian Centre", 2006). "Rumours, swearing, verbal abuse, pranks, arguments, property damage, vandalism, sabotage, pushing, theft, physical assaults, psychological trauma, anger-related incidents, arson and murder are all examples of workplace violence" (Canadian Centre, 2006).
The End of Violence
SKY Sport images showed the violent clashes
Digicorp workplaceNow that workplace violence has been identified, we can look at some warning signs that these examples might occur. The most important thing to remember about warning signs is that they are not a direct indicator that something might happen. Not everyone who is going express the same warning signs and what might be a warning sign for one person might just be a normal activity for another person. The important thing to look for is extreme and prolonged changes in behavior (Staff Human Resources, 2006). Another common type of workplace violence may occur when an individual becomes romantically obsessed with someone who does not reciprocate the same romantic feelings and becomes irrational (Staff Human Resources, 2006). In these cases, the obsessed individual has a tendency to be...