Violence in the Workplace Threatens More Than Your Team
In 2018, assaults resulted in 20,790 injuries and 453 fatalities and when speaking to those in the industry, those numbers have risen with more workers performing their jobs alone, and workplace violence becoming a significant safety hazard and concern in different workplaces. According to the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts, work-related assaults are the second leading cause of work-related deaths, just behind car crashes.
Unfortunately, if you follow the news, there are too many stories of people experiencing assault and workplace violence when on the job. Last October, a US Postal Service worker was punched twice by a man at a San Antonia apartment. But it’s not only postal workers who are being assaulted. Other employees, sometimes a lone worker, who sadly have to worry about workplace violence when they get up in the morning, people such as community healthcare nurses, water utility workers, and particularly those going into homes alone more frequently like electricians and anything technology-related because more people are working from home.
What is workplace violence?
If you scan the International Labor Organization’s website, workplace violence is defined by “any action, incident, or behavior that departs from reasonable conduct in which a person is assaulted, threatened, harmed, injured in the course of, or as a direct result of, his or her work.”
According to the CDC and Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 20,00 private-industry workers experienced non-fatal workplace violence in 2018., requiring time off work. Here’s a limited picture of what these people look like:
64% were aged 25 to 54
73% were healthcare and social assistance workers
71% were female
20% were off work recovering for more than 30 days, and 21% had to take 3 to 5 days off to recover
Workplace violence can be divided into external and internal categories:
internal workplace violence within the team (including supervisors and managers) or
external workplace violence between workers and those not part of your organization like visitors, customers, and contractors
According to the 2004 General Social Survey on Victimization, workplace violence, including sexual assault, robbery, and physical assault, added up to 356,000 violent workplace incidents in the 10 provinces. But even more alarming, 17% of self-reported incidents of violent incidents took place in the seemingly-safe workplace.
In addition to physical and sexual assaults, arson, and obviously murder, there are behaviors acceptable in some workplaces that could be classified as workplace violence, such as:
swearing
verbal and emotional abuse
pranks
arguments
property damage
vandalism
sabotage
shoving
theft
gossip
aggressive behavior
Workplace violence in the United States
But it doesn’t stop there. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, about two million Americans are victims of workplace violence each year and in 217, work-related assaults resulted in 18,400 injuries and 458 fatalities across the United States, seen data provided by the National Safety Council.
What should you do about workplace violence?
So if you’re concerned that workplace violence is currently an issue or has the potential to become one with your team and lone workers – even if it’s at home – you need to determine if you have a violence prevention program available through your employer and what the next steps are; if not, you should ask your employer to develop one. If not, inquire about any employee assistance programs (EAP). From the seeds planted by alcoholism programs in the 1940s, EAPs are a great resource to use when feeling uncomfortable or threatened by a coworker’s behavior. Particularly during these uncomfortable, uncertain times, we need to support the emotional needs of our teams who are possibly experiencing emotional turmoil - violence tends to increase during difficult emotional periods. Here’s a great list of EAP providers via Shortlister.
Workplace violence protection programs
If you’re worried that workplace violence could be an issue, you could develop a smaller program as part of your overall health and safety plan. While every workplace’s program or plan will be different, Worksafe BC says there are some general factors everyone needs to consider:
written policy to eliminate or minimize risk
regular risk assessments
prevention procedures
worker and supervisor training
Procedures for reporting and investigating incidents
incident follow-up
program review
eyes and ears open
If you’re a manager or supervisor, it is your responsibility to constantly monitor work situations and environment for any signs of potential workplace violence. This entails paying attention to any signs of violent behavior as described by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety:
history of violence
threatening behavior
intimidating behavior
high levels of stress
negative personality characteristics
notable changes in mood or behavior
socially isolating
substances abuse issues
Strong, positive work and safety culture cannot coexist with workplace violence
But ultimately, you need to speak with the team member first to see how they’re doing. Lone workers, who have unique strengths and skills, should be welcomed to come forth with any safety and/or personal issues, with an agreement that nothing is shared beyond the relationship of the manager and staff member. They might just need someone to talk to and the manager should be just that – a coworker who’s also a confidant and friend which varies from circumstance to circumstance, of course. If you establish a strong safety work culture, the early signs of workplace violence are spotted early, sometimes preventing them from occurring at all. Workplace violence is less likely to happen in an environment where there are strong professional/personal bonds and communication amongst the team because they care about each other and the work they do.