Workplace Violence Essay -- Workplace Health and Safety

Workplace Violence According to the FBI, workplace violence is the number one growing homicide in the United States. There are an estimated 225,000 to 300,000 occurrences of violence each year. Despite the aforementioned statistic, some managers have simply failed to address the issue of workplace violence. Such negligence has not necessarily been purposeful. It has been due to a lack of awareness of the problem coupled with a preoccupation of everyday pressures. Many managers view workplace violence as just another workplace scourge such as sexual harassment--another governmental compliance burden. Unlike sexual harassment, workplace violence has resulted in people dying and that is precisely why it must be stopped. Sadly, far too many perpetrators have been allowed to come to Afull blossom@ right under the nose of a manager. For example, statistically, Athree-quarters of documented perpetrators showed warning signs. With the aforementioned statistic in mind, this paper will show some aspects of workplace violence that managers should look for in both their employees and their organizations, so as to spot and prevent workplace violence. Profiles Profiling potentially lethal employees or perpetrators is an exercise in both art and science. There is no question profiles can come in many forms and that many potential workplace murderers will not match any defined profile. Nonetheless, there are patterns evident in the behavior of workplace violence that make the effort of profiling them worthwhile and important to any organization. The violent individual often telegraphs his violent intentions before acting upon them, which may help to predict violence. The profile itself has been constructed to reflect two maj... ...ago: University of Chicago Press. Cascio, B.C. (1993). Antisocial Behavior in Organizations. New York: Haworth. Federal Bureau of Investigation. (1998). Statistical abstract of violent crimes in the United States (59th ed.). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Fox, P.D., & Levin, D. (1994). Breaking Point: The Workplace Violence Epidemic and What to Do About It. Chicago: Doubleday. Hesket, K.B., (1996). Essentials of Managing Workplace Violence. New York: Haworth. Kirkwood, M.E., (1993). Profiling the Lethal Employee: Caase Studies of Violence in the Workplace. Los Angeles: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan. Kurlad, J., (1998). Preventing Workplace Violence: Positive Management Strategies. New York: Holt. Lock, N. (1997, July 13). Tragedy Strikes Again. L.A. Times, pp. A1, A22. Webster=s Dictionary (9th ed.). (1972). Chicago: Webster=s.