Running head: WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

Workplace Violence
Rana Alhalawi
Roberts Wesleyan College

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

Workplace Violence
Introduction
Workplace violence has been a major point of focus for human resource professionals,
organizations, employees, unions and the government as a whole. According to Sharp (2015),
workplace violence refers to violent acts that include physical assaults and assault threats geared
towards people at the workplace. This could entail physical violations like hitting, oral threats,
spitting, harassing and destroying properties in order to harm others. With the increase in cases
of workplace violence, additional studies must be carried out in order determine the nature and
limit of the effects of workplace violence in different organizations across the globe. The purpose
of this paper is to analyaze workplace violence prevalence, causes, risk factors, prevention
strategies, and King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center policies regarding workplace
violence.
Prevalence
Schmidtke (2011) reported an increase in the cases of workplace violence during the past
years hitting the one million mark per year by 2010. It has further been established that half of
organizations with a thousand employees and above submitted a case of workplace violence in
the year 2005. Homicide has been presented as the fourth leading trigger of fatal workplace
injury in the US. However in 2005 close to 70% of workplaces lacked a formal program to tackle
workplace violence (Dillon, 2012). In regard to the healthcare sector, Davis et al (2015) note that
in 2012, 27,380 health workers in the US suffered non-fatal injuries at the workplace.

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Moreover, healthcare centers with more than a thousand workers have a mean of 5.5
injuries that are not fatal each year. Between 2009 and 2011, eight registered nurses received
fatal injuries at work.
Causes of Workplace Violence
There are different causes of workplace violence. They include negative effect, poor
control of emotions among the perpetrators, anger, consumption of alcohol, stress at the place of
work, role conflict, conflicting roles, supervision that is marred by abuses, mental illness and
poor leadership (Dillon, 2012). There are two causes that seem to result in a greater probability
of workplace violence and its escalation. There is sustained negative external attribution among
perpetrators on one hand and limited organizational responsiveness to this behavior on the other.
The two always work symbiotically. Any workplace that condones poor leadership, violations
among employees and does not have policies and programs for tackling conflict establishes a
platform for hatred and negative attribution with reference to the employee. However, this does
not exonerate aggression acts or physical violence at the place of work (Dillon, 2012). On the
contrary, it denotes the fact that workers can adopt steps or strategies to alleviate or in most cases
eradicate workplace violence.
Impacts of Workplace Violence
The greatest effect of workplace violence is its impact on human resources of any
organization. Workers facing workplace conflict like bullying have a high risk of physical and
psychological health problems including lack of sleep, hypertension, gastrointestinal signs,
insecurity, loss of weight, crying spells, depression, alcohol consumption and suicide in worst
case scenarios (Dillon, 2012). Surprisingly, an average of more than ten private industry workers

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in the US lost their lives weekly in 2007 as a result of workplace violence. All kinds of violence
and physical violence acts affect not just the worker impacted directly, rather colleagues who
witness these practices. The financial fallout cannot be measured for the employees. The effect of
workplace violence has been linked to that of sexual harassment. This is attributed to the fact that
sexual harassment always poses the same effects in regard to time, turnover and rate of
productivity. Litigation is of major concern to companies in matters related to workplace
violence. Many workers are protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act with reference to
sexual harassment and discrimination (Dillon, 2012). Different forms of workplace violence like
bullying and physical assault could comprise an occupational hazard or a case of negligence on
the employers part to offer a safe work environment.
Risk Factors
There are different factors that must be considered when there is likelihood that someone
has experienced workplace violence (Botelho, 2014). These include the need to understand
whether: money changed hands; whether volatile people were around; whether alcohol was
served; whether it was a late shift or an area with high levels of crime; and whether a person
operates alone or in small teams. According to Scalora et al (2003), informing the concerns over
potential risk factors, organizations must face different sources of legal liability so as to prevent
this practice and statutory requirements to offer safe environments for employees and visitors.
Irrespective of the source of danger, federal and state laws demand that employers present a safe
working environment and adopt precautionary strategies.

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5
Prevention of Workplace Violence

Prevention of this practice will first demand the establishment and maintenance of a
positive work culture (Dillon, 2012). This is where people are respected by management and
colleagues, where hard work is acknowledged and where conflict is handled efficiently as it
emerges. This entails a committed systemic strategy that entails the creation of policies and
frameworks, efficient communication, training and implementation. It also demands an on-going
initiative to monitor and evaluate the workplace. However, in the event that an organization has a
culture that condones and motivates violence, change will need dedication to a maintained
cultural change effort, always involving external aid, and could need substitution of leadership
that is opposed to change. Organizations that disregard warning signs and just plan for crisis
management face the biggest risk of workplace violence (Dillon, 2012). In the healthcare sector,
Stubbs (2009) believes that physiotherapists are well placed to alleviate patients pain while
promoting their recovery and independence levels.
Davis et al (2015) believe that by managing the environment, nurses are able to alleviate
potential violence or minimize the effect. Important strategies will include: watching early
symptoms of escalation and acting on the lowest stress level; eliminating unnecessary workers,
patients and guests because other aggressors will be calm in the absence of audience; removing
additional furniture, decors and plants that could serve as weapons; and reducing noise level and
overcrowding. Most important is that organizations must tackle workplace violence before its
occurrence (Dillon, 2012).

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King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center Policies of Workplace Violence
Management of Dignity in the Workplace
KFSH&RC is committed to ensuring that all its members are treated with dignity and
respect wherever they work, free from stress, anxiety or fear of intimidation. In 2010, the
hospital conducted a survey to gain an understanding of the environment at KFSH&RC. The
results showed that KFSH&RC have similar problems to other healthcare organizations
worldwide. Over half of the staff reported emotional or psychological abuse in the workplace
during twelve months prior to the survey. During the survey, staff had the opportunity to suggest
challenges that KFSH&RC need to address. The following were the top four suggestions for the
organization to focus on, including; all employees must be treated equal, zero tolerance to all
forms of inappropriate/disruptive behavior, education and training for the prevention and
management of inappropriate/disruptive behavior, implementation and compliance with a
hospital policy to address this issue (King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center Nursing
Affairs, 2012).
According to that, the hospital introduced a new policy called management of dignity in
the workplace in 2012. This policy explains the primary behavioral expectations of all staff and
gives guidance on what to do if they feel that their dignity is compromised. Management of
dignity in the workplace states that employee shall; treat their colleagues with professionalism,
dignity and respect, conduct themselves in an appropriate manner; recognize and report
workplace violence; understand his/her professional responsibilities and adhere to the
organization's policies and procedures; encourage a friendly, supportive, team culture that
promotes equality, respect, professionalism, values, diversity and encourages expression of

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different professional viewpoint, if relevant (King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center
Nursing Affairs, 2012).
Conflict Management
In addition to the dignity in the workplace policy, KFSH&RC have been conducting
conflict management training for its staff. During the year of 2012, one hundred sixty-six staff
members successfully completed the training. Additionally, code white has been established for a
designated team to respond to violent situations. Code white defined as a standard, organized,
quick, nonviolent response to a behavioral emergency or conflict situation by the hospital
healthcare team appropriately trained to manage situations involving aggressive, violent or
threatening people in a patient care area beyond the capabilities of the attending staff (King
Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center Nursing Affairs, 2012).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is apparent that workplace violence has greatly affected human resource
professionals, organizations, employees, unions and the government as a whole. It occurs each
and every day whether openly or secretly. Even though it has a number of impacts on the welfare
of the organizations and its workers, most victims find it hard to report this practice. Based on
this, more research should be conducted in order to determine the nature and the effects of
workplace violence. Furthermore, additional research in regard to the efficiency of laws and
principles put in place to address the incidence would be of great significance.

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References
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