Understanding and Managing People
Workplace violence is a threat or violent physical action, intimidation, or any other disruptive and threatening behavior which occurs in the work environment. It may involve verbal abuse, threats, homicide, or even physical assault. It affects customers, workers, or visitors at the workplace. Currently, the act of injuring or causing violence at the workplace is the third leading cause of injuries at the workplace in America (Zhang et al., 2017). According to CFOI (Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries), among over 5,000 fatal workplace injuries, over 450 of these were caused intentionally (Gillespie et al., 2015). Nevertheless, violence in the working environment is a significant concern for workers and employers in the whole country. The paper will discuss “Workplace Violence against Health Care Workers in the United States,” by Phillips (2016) and the related policy.
According to Phillips (2016), many health care employees have reported having been casualties of violence at the workplace every year. Worse, some cases do not get reported. Phillips (2016) mentions that there are elements that seem to increase risks related to workplace violence for particular employees at individual work institutions. The factors, in this case, include an encounter with unstable people and while exchanging money with the public. The other encounter the author mentions is working with patients or people related to the patient who is under the influence of alcohol. Phillips (2016) also considers other factors the affect health care workers, such as the time of working. It, he mentions, has two sides to it. The first is that employees may develop a bad attitude due to long working hours at the health institution. The other side is that since it is the health care industry, workers may be needed to come to work at odd hours of the day. It puts them at risk of being attacked by a stranger while going to work.
The policy that the organizations put in place to reduce workplace violence in this case is a zero-tolerance policy of violence at work (Hassankhani & Soheili, 2017). The work policy covers all areas, including patients, visitors, and contractors. The policy should also involve proper channels of reporting to the appropriate authorities and the police. It includes cooperations, which are crucial elements in providing an environment that is safe to work in with others. The policy is excellent because it is problem-oriented. The solving of issues starts through scanning to find out the cause of the problem (Hassankhani & Soheili, 2017). It takes into account data collection processes, which are vital. For the policy to work, all the relevant authorities, the police, and the administration of the hospital should be involved. Since it is problem-oriented, it is easier to get to the bottom of the issues to solve it.
The zero-tolerance policy works because it has several consequences if one is found to intimidate or harass a health worker. The policy also places responsibility on the workers to report every incident of harassment that takes place in the working environment. Therefore, this is effective in reducing violence against workers within the work environment. It should be noted that it is based on a model that utilizes cooperation and intelligence as its weapons. It is a practical approach to preventing violence in the workplace, thereby making it a safe environment.
In conclusion, workplace violence comprises psychological and physical acts that are damaging occurring while on duty or at the workplace. There is more and more violence in the workplace every year, which go unreported. It is a significant concern and should be addressed urgently. Abuse can also include visitors and other subordinate staff, including contractors. The zero-tolerance policy is an effective way to combat workplace violence with those involves being punished severely.