1 2 Workplace Violence Q & A What responsibilities do employers have to prevent workplace violence? Workplace violence is a reality that is difficult to deal with, but its existence needs to be recognized and addressed by a company’s leaders. Statistics have been released by the Bureau of Labor, stating that of the 4,547 workplace injuries resulting in death in 2010, 506 were homicides (Ceplenski, 2013). Employers are responsible for creating a safe workplace for their staff members. This includes everyone from management to janitorial. Each person that enters a facility should have firsthand knowledge that they are coming to work in a safe place. Their personal belongings should be safe as well as their personal information. One of the most important responsibilities of an employer is assuring their staff that they are safe from any potential workplace violence. According to Smith, Scmalleger, and Siegel (2017), workplace violence is best described as “any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other disruptive behavior, ranging from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide that occurs at the workplace” (p.134). Some helpful practices for employers include conducting background checks of all employees, have specific policies on acts that can lead to workplace violence (i.e., workplace violence prevention, weapons in the workplace, non-discrimination and harassment, drug and alcohol use, and safety procedures), take all complaints seriously (large or small), train supervisors to avoid negligent hiring and retention, and offer employees a way to report violence and potential violence (Ceplenski, 2013). What responsibilities do employees have to prevent workplace violence? 3 Though an employer holds much of the responsibility in maintaining a safe work environment, the employees are a major contributor to the workplace and generally teamwork is necessary in keeping each coworker accountable to their daily routines. One strong practice is maintaining strictly a coworker relationship among other staff members. Dating or having outside relationships with coworkers can lead to bringing disagreements into the workplace, and it would cause problems in a work environment. Communication is imperative in any work environment. This includes communicating with management and coworkers. Reporting things such as suspicious behavior or a coworker stealing is one important responsibility for every staff member to do if they witness such acts at the workplace. Do not bring home stressors into the workplace either. Many times, if an employee is fighting at home, they may show up to work in a bad mood. If you see a coworker that appears depressed or angry, report it. Bottled up depression, stress, and anger are the perfect recipe for a human time-bomb! Treat all coworkers equally. If you have seniority, do not make others feel lower on the command chain. Offer help when you see a coworker struggling. Sometimes the simplest kind gesture can destress a person. What are some of the indicators that you may have identified as a workplace violator? There are many indicators of potential workplace violence. All staff and management need to be aware of any significant changes in behavior of coworkers. Some of the common signs of potential danger include attendance problems, adverse impact on supervisor’s time, decreased productivity, inconsistent work patterns, concentration problems, safety issues, poor health and hygiene, changes in behavior, evidence of possible drug and/or alcohol use, possible stress in the employee’s life, continuous excuses, blaming others for error(s), and depression (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.). 4 As a past business owner of retail comic book and trading card stores, I have personally dealt with people skimming the till or stealing merchandise. That type of behavior needs to be addressed immediately. Little things like stealing and lying could build up into a much larger act, including violence in the future. Both the employer(s) and employee(s) have the responsibility of reporting these unethical styles of behavior, before they are given the chance to escalate into an argument, and then evolve into some form of violent act. When an employee is stealing at work, regardless of what they are stealing, there is a good chance their behavior can later flourish into something more difficult to control. You are in the cafeteria at your workplace when you hear gunshots. What are the next steps you should take? Active shooters are a threat in public venues and facilities where many people gather (i.e., schools, churches, malls, movie theaters, concert venues). According to Smith, Scmalleger, & Siegel (2017), “An active shooter, as defined by the FBI, is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area” (p. 140). Five steps that can be utilize when you believe to have heard gunshots in a public venue are to figure out what your hearing (be sure you heard gunshots and not something loud dropping), act fast, locate the shooter and escape, if possible, if you can’t get out, barricade yourself, and if all else fails, fight for your life (Wickman, 2016). Most active shooter incidents last less than five minutes (Wickman, 2016). Hiding would be the most logical and safe response. According to Smith, Scmalleger, & Siegel (2017), “Finding a hiding place in active shooter situations can often mean the difference between life and death” (p.141). Concert venues are a god target for active shooters. On December 8, 2004 Darrell “Dimebag” Abbot (guitarist of the band Damage Plan and formerly of Pantera) was shot 5 pointblank while a fan got on the stage during Damage Plan’s performance in a concert venue. Three other victims were killed, before the shooter was gunned down in a single shot by an off- duty police officer that was at the venue (USA Today, 2018). On October 1, 2017 a shooter opened fire on an outdoor country music concert from his hotel balcony in Las Vegas, Nevada killing 59 people and injuring around 500 more, then killed himself (NBC News, 2017). I used the two previous stories as real-life examples of public shootings in large crowds. Both incidents were unexpected, and there are not always police or other people with guns available to assist in such situations, so people simply need to be prepared and act fast, because you never know when you may be in a similar situation. 6 References Ceplenski, C. (2013). What Can Employers Do To Prevent Workplace Violence? Retrieved from https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2013/12/27/what-can-employers-do-to-prevent-workplaceviolence/#:~:text=While%20there%20is%20no%20federal,that%20is %20%E2%80%9Cfree%20from%20recognized NBC News. (2017). Las Vegas Shooting: 59 Killed and More Than 500 Hurt Near Mandalay Bay. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/las-vegas-shooting/las-vegas- police-investigatingshooting-mandalay-bay-n806461 Smith, C.F., Scmalleger, F., & Siegel, L.J. (2017). Private Security Today. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). DOL Workplace Violence Program. Retrieved from https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/human-resources- center/policies/workplace-violenceprogram USA Today. (2018). ‘The worst day in metal history’: the death of ‘Dimebag’ Darrell. Retrieved from https://www.austin360.com/entertainment/20160926/the-worst-day-in-metal- history-the-death-of-dimebagdarrell Wickman, K. (2016). . Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2016/06/07/heres-what-to-do-when- you-heargunshots/
