WORKPLACE VIOLENCE: TRENDS & EFFECT ON HUMAN SOURCES

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE: TRENDS & EFFECT ON HUMAN SOURCES

27 Apr, 2023

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE: TRENDS & EFFECT ON HUMAN SOURCES

Author- Parul Dwivedi, Student at UPES, Dehradun

ABSTRACT

A Workplace is somewhere employees needs to feel safe. The working environment should be professional and should not harm the mental peace of employee.

Workplace violence[1] is nothing new but it also not something to proud of. Workplace which is unsafe or have unhealthy environment for the workers or employees effect both and the individual and the business. The crime rate of workplace violence is increasing day by day and effect the mental peace of individual. In this Article, we are going to talk about the different aspects of workplace violence and how can we as a people of India cure it so that no other employee become the victim or suffer from this trauma. 23% of employees in the world are facing the violence in the workplace.

KEYWORDS– Workplace Violence, Victimization, Prevention.

WHAT IS WOKPLACE VIOLENCE?

OSHA [Occupational Safety & Health Administration[2]] defines Workplace violence which means a disruptive behaviour, harassment, physical violence which happens against a person who is performing his/her duties at a workplace and which affects the mental peace and physical health of employee or person. It can be in both form verbal and physical.

Workplace violence is a very brutal category of crime. Every time of crime and offences are fallen under this category include homicide. If we specifically talk about India then the crime rate of India is already very high and the workplace violence is rapidly increasing day by day. In India violence against female is very common rather than men because India is a country where people are still following the patriarchal thinking. Sexual harassment are the prior workplace violence happened against women. Even thousand of the cases which is done against women are not even reported because of the society’s thinking. Womens are more concerned about their “IZZAT”.

NOTE: The main cause of workplace violence is the fear of taking action, lack of communication, lack of lack of awareness.

TYPES OF WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

There are four type[3] of workplace violence.

TYPE 1: CRIMINAL INTENT– The person who committed a violence are not related to that business anyhow and has a criminal intention like robbery, trespassing, theft and many more. So, the perpetrator doesn’t  have any relation with the individual or victim. The perpetrator was only there to commit a crime and victim was unfortunately present their. For example;  Bank Employee assaulted in the bank during robbery. So it will considered as a workplace violence but with a criminal intention.

CCTV Camera and panic alarm should be installed in a office to ignore these types of violence.

TYPE 2: CUSTOMER/CLIENTS- This violence is most common in health field. This type of violence mostly occur in emergency by patient, patient’s family or friend. It is done only when the person is unsatisfied with the services which are provided by the staff.

TYPE 3: WORKER TO WORKER- It can be in both form verbal and physical. This type of workplace violence is very common in India and most dangerous/ difficult to deal. Employers bullying and emotionally abuse the individual which is unfair and offensive. And the main important is sexual harassment. This type is also called as lateral or horizontal violence. This usually happens between the person who is in lower place than the other for example; Doctor to Nurse, Teacher to Students, Employer to Employees etc. It can only prevent during the recruitment stage. Recruiter should check the background of person and their behaviour at their previous workplace.

TYPE 4: PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP- The person who is committing the violence have some relation with the victim who follows the victim[4] to their workplace and spills the beans over their. For example; Perpetrator is a boyfriend of the employee and he followed her to her workplace and orders her to come home immediately and threaten her and her coworker also. Which causes action same as workplace violence.

NEEDS TO ADDRESS THE WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

  • Safety technologies playing a important role in workplace violence. Managers and the employer should prepare some programme at a workplace to aware the employee or people and reduce the workplace violence. Also employer should have zero tolerance policy for the workplace violence.
  • Manger should come with the preventive policy and made sure  that everyone in the workplace are familiar with that policy and the consequences if it is not followed.
  • The ministry of women and child development has set up sexual harassment portal for online complaints registration. It was launched on July 24,2017.
  • Person start behaving unreasonable most of time. The feeling of becoming best is always in their. Started taking criticism personally and many more.
  • Started playing victim card all the time. They never feel responsible for the fault they commit and started blaming others for the thing they commit.
  • If the individual is Angry, Argumentative and impulsive in behaviour then it is a red flag for the person.
  • If someone always being paranoid and behaving like a victim of unfairness and biased nature.

HOW TO PREVENT WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

  • Recruiter should check the background of individual and also check their behaviour at their previous workplace. This will inform us that individual is violent in nature or not.
  • Creating a policy to prevent[5] harassment. While creating this policy one have to make sure that each level of faculty is present.
  • AWARENESS[6] – should arrange the training session for all the staff to aware that if any violence happen with them in workplace so how to report it and how to communicate about it.
  • Solve the conflicts before they convert into rage and the feeling of revenge. So that conflicts doesn’t  convert into harassment, bullying etc.
  • Best way is to built a trust between you and your employee so that they can communicate with you easily about any matter. This is the most effective way to prevent workplace violence.

CONCLUSION

Workplace Violence is a terrible thing. It is a burning issue which need be taken care of without avoiding it.. In developing countries violence in the workplace can cause low self esteem in the workers and lack of stability which cause an lack of effectiveness in the workplace and loss to the work. If proper measure is taken against it then it can be reduced and people will work safely and happily. And can give their 100% to the business or job whatever they are doing.

REFRENCE

  1. Society for Human Resource Management/ https://www.shrm.org › pages › wor…/ Understanding Workplace Violence Prevention and Response
  2. https://empmonitor.com/ blog › pr…
  3. Management Study Guide/ https://www.managementstudyguide.com › …/What is Workplace Violence and How to Deal with it.
  4. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (.gov)
  5. https://www.osha.gov › workplace violence
  6. Handbook of Workplace Violence, editors E. Kevin Kelloway, Julian Barling, and Joseph J. Hurrell Jr. bring 
  7. Crime Victimization: A Comprehensive Overview, Second Edition

 

[1] https://www.osha.gov/workplace-violence

[2]https://www.osha.gov

[3]Types of Workplace Violence | WPVHC | NIOSH – gov.cdc.wwwn

[4] https://www.researchgate.net › 3010…/Victims of Workplace Violence

[5] Understanding Workplace Violence Prevention and Response – SHRM

[6]https://www.skillcast.com › blog › t…/How to Tackle Workplace Violence