Workplace Violence

Homicide is now the third highest work-related cause of death in the United States. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, in a study of homicides at work from 1980 to 1988, found that homicide accounted for 12% of job-related deaths. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that homicide was the leading cause of death for women at work, accounting for 42% of on-the-job fatalities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after motor vehicle incidents, homicide is the leading cause of death in the workplace. The Justice Department reported in 1994 that one-sixth of all violent crimes in the United States occur in the workplace. The statistics tell the story… here's some information that can help you better prepare for and avoid violence at your place of work.

There is a potential for violence in every workplace. (Item #1)   Employers need to be aware they may be liable for injuries caused by workplace violence. (Item #2)   While there's no way to predict workplace violence accurately, there are warning signs that can aid in prevention.
(Item #3)  

The two most effective strategies for dealing with a bully who has targeted you are Fight and Flight. (Item #4)   Negligent hiring and negligent retention can put employers at risk. (Item #5)   The Sept. 8 killing of Yale graduate student Annie Lewas another harrowing instance of what authorities called "workplace violence." (Item #6)  

As always, we look forward to hearing your comments & insights regarding business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, email me at bmellinger@attainium.net.

Bob Mellinger, President
Attainium Corp

1. Workplace Violence: Violence Can Happen Here

A very real, clear and present danger lurks just beyond the consciousness of people who work together eight to ten hours a day, five to seven days a week. It is the potential for violence to occur in your workplace. Increasingly, the Human Resources function is both the target of these threats of workplace violence and the organization's first line of defense for the prevention of workplace violence.
http://humanresources.about.com/od/healthsafetyandwellness/a/workviolence.htm

2. Workplace Violence: Employers Need to be Better Prepared

What are some of the consequences of workplace violence in a workplace? Of course there is the immediate consequence of the horrific loss of life and unnecessary violence employees have to endure. In addition, there is the PR nightmare of being known as a company that failed to prepare for workplace violence and the appearance of your company on the evening news with police crime scene tape all around your workplace. But perhaps employers don't understand the deeper implications that failing to prepare for workplace violence can have on them.
http://workplaceviolencenews.com/2010/02/01/workplace-violence-employers-need-to-be-better-prepared/

3. Is Kindness the Solution to Workplace Violence?

If you think your workplace is the exception to workplace violence, you should face facts. It is estimated that 21 percent of employees, regardless of industry, came to work today with a problem at home that will disrupt their work for two to three days. Ten percent of your employees at work today likely have a mental illness. And three percent are either refusing to take medication, refusing therapy, or can't afford the co-pays for the services they require.
http://www.continuityinsights.com/Magazine/Issue_Archives/2009/09-10/Is_Kindness_the_Solution_to_Workplace_Violence.html

4. Confronting the Workplace Bully: Part I

When a bully targets you, you have three options: accept the abuse; avoid the bully or escape; and confront or fight back. Confrontation is a better choice than many believe - if you know what you're doing.
http://www.chacocanyon.com/pointlookout/100203.shtml

Confronting the Workplace Bully: Part II

5. Corporate Liability: Sharing the Blame for Workplace Violence

Negligent hiring and negligent retention are fodder for lawsuits when store management fails to screen the applicants it employs. The difference between the two is in the time the employer becomes aware that the employee is unfit for the job.
http://www.workviolence.com/articles/corporate_liability.htm

6. Yale case shines light on workplace violence

The killing of Yale student Annie Le has shined a spotlight on the issue of workplace violence after police arrested a colleague at the lab where she worked and charged him with murder. "It is important to note that this is not about urban crime, university crime, domestic crime, but an issue of workplace violence, which is becoming a growing concern around the country," said New Haven, Conn., Police Chief James Lewis.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32919417/ns/business-careers/