workplace security

Workplace Violence

Any act of violence in which a firm employee participates is considered workplace violence. The emphasis of situational planning must now be on reporting, responding, preventing, and maintaining these specific situations. Workplace violence can occur in four different ways, according to Pizzino (2013): with criminal intent, against clients or customers, other employees, or in a personal setting. When the offender has a personal connection to the intended victim rather than the organization, this is referred to as a personal relationship. victims of domestic violence, as an illustration. When a prior or present employee of the company attacks or threatens to attack another past or present employee, it is referred to as “worker-on-worker” behavior. Customer or client case refers to the one where the person involved a legal relationship with the organization, for example, patients in psychiatric facilities. Victims in these case are the caregivers. The criminal intent includes cases where the perpetrator does not have any legal relationship with the company thus the violence is usually related to another crime (Pizzino, 2013). The essay shall focus on the client or customer violence.

Causes of Client or Customer Violence

The client or customer violence occurs in the course of duty; workers are performing their regular tasks. Some occupations are known to inherently deal with such kind of people; security guards, correction officers, police officers or mental health workers. In the case of the other occupations, there is very minimal prediction to the occurrence of violent activities. The cases are either triggered by the denial of a service, argument or anger on the quality of service. The partial rationality of the perpetrators is the primary source of violence. They cannot reason clearly that the denial of service is a grave course of action (Bennett, 2016).

Impact of Workplace Violence

Cases of workplace violence affect the society as a whole and not particular individuals in isolation. The possible economic costs can hardly be adequately determined. Trust created for an extended period is destroyed with some sense of insecurity from the different participants. Every person loses during workplace violence, and each must play a role to stop the violence from happening. The success and determination of this shall depend on the actions and concerns of the different stakeholders (Bowie et al., 2012).

Employer’s Obligations and Responsibilities

The employers have an ethical and legal obligation to ensure work environments are as free as possible from violence or any threats. There is much to lose both economically and socially from any such occurrence. The employers need to come up with a workplace violence policy and communicate the plan to the employees. Regular training is very necessary for all staff on preventive measures. The victims of workplace violence equally need the support of the employer. The company needs to foster a climate of respect and trust among the workers and between the management and the employees. Equally important is the endeavor by the companies to seek some outside assistance, including psychiatrists, threat assessment psychologists, and other professionals (Bowie et al., 2012).

 Employee Responsibilities

The employees equally have a responsibility to play their part in promoting safety, especially from threats, violence, and harassment. In the Bible, Jesus commands his disciples in Matthew 7:12 that they ought to do unto others whatsoever they expect them to do unto them ”…whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them…” (KJV). It is, therefore, expected that the employees treat each other with maximum respect and care, and part of this includes ensuring their safety in the places of work. It is also anticipated that they will adhere to the policies and practices established by the employer. Secondly, they need to be aware of the expected ominous signs and report them to the concerned person in management. Lastly, they need to follow the established procedures in the workplace violence prevention program (Bennett, 2016).

Community Involvement and Prevention

In conclusion, because workplace violence affects the society, the other stakeholders need to also participate in ensuring safety in the workplace. A proactive approach needs to be devised in which the community is utilized in the policing concept. Outreaches, more so to the smaller employees, need to be done. Regular consultation and contact with the social services and mental health providers. The unions need to be on the frontline in the advocacy against workplace violence. Lastly, the threat assessment methods need to be refined and improved at the national level.

References

Bennett, Z. (2016). Using the Bible in practical theology: Historical and contemporary perspectives. New York: Routledge.

Bowie, V., Fisher, B. S., & Cooper, C. (Eds.). (2012). Workplace violence. New York: Routledge.

Pizzino, A. (2013). ”Dealing with violence in the workplace: The experience of Canadian unions.” in Gill, M., Fisher, B., & Bowie, V. (eds.). Violence at work. New York: Routledge.

The Bible, Matthew 7:12 (King James Version).