New Study Shows High Rate of Employee-on-Employee Violence

Which employees are most at risk of becoming victims of violent attacks? The first answers that spring to mind might be employees who work in high-crime neighborhoods; those who work with violent or unstable people, such as prison populations; those who work directly with the public; or those who transport or guard valuable items. While employees who work in those situations are certainly at risk of on-the-job violence, they are not the only ones. Among the most common perpetrators of violence against employees are other employees, according to a recent study by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) of federal government workers.

While the study looked specifically at government workers, its findings should be useful reminders for all organizations that violence in the workplace often comes from within. In their preliminary results, the researchers found that “[t]he seeds that may spark a violent outburst by an employee may be rooted in conflict with other employees or supervisors, conflict with customers, or conflict outside the workplace such as daily economic or personal pressures.” They also found that “although most Federal employees believe their agencies take sufficient steps to ensure their safety from violence in the workplace, agencies may need to give more attention to preventing violence perpetrated by employees.”

Workplace violence in the U.S., according to the MSPB, costs “many billions” of dollars per year.The costs include those  for lost time, medical and legal expenses, lower employee morale and productivity and increased employee turnover.

WeComply’s preventing workplace violence training course, for employees of both private- and public-sector organizations, covers topics that include risk factors, prevention measures, red flags and dealing with volatile situations.

Categories: Workplace Compliance
Tags: Workplace Violence