Workplace Violence and Warning Signs

Undoubtedly violence at working places such as superyachts is a very serious and often controversial issue with a lot of different approaches. Τhis article will try to identify the profile of people prone to workplace violence and most important, warning signs.

The recent years great improvement has been made at the number of violence incidents at working place. But even if the rate of nonfatal violence has declined by 62% from 1993 to 2012 and by 35% from 2012 to 2016, still almost 572,000 individuals every year suffer from violence in working places (U.S. Department of Justice, 2016). Therefore there is still room for improvement. Even if statistic rates decline the absolute number of victims is still big, if we take in consideration that these incidents affect the quality of lives of each and every one of us.

Modern societies and developed countries cannot tolerate the existence of violence in everyday life.

General considerations 

Definition of workplace violence 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration defines workplace violence as the violence against workers (U.S. Department of Labor, 2002). A much broader definition should include violence against workers and customers as well, and divide this violence in forms such as physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, spiritual, cultural, verbal abuse and financial abuse.

The challenge is how to recognize these types of violence such as psychological violence which sometimes implies other forms of violence, such as physical which may prove fatal.

Types of violence in workplace 

Physical: It takes place when somebody uses or tries to use physical power in order to subdue and control someone else’s willingness and actions.

Sexual: Sexual actions enforced to a person without his/her approval.

Emotional: It is a set of harmful behaviors by one partner to another to dominate him/her.

Psychological: Degrading, humiliating are examples of behavior that harms someone psychologically. Often the discrimination between emotional and psychological violence is difficult to be recognized. Usually, employers exercise psychological violence to employees by manipulating their power and authority.

Spiritual: Spiritual and emotional violence often occur at the same time. This kind of violence harms the spirit. There are many ways of doing so, such as ignoring somebody’s opinion, public humiliation etc.

Cultural: In that type of violence cultural differences, such as religion, language, cultural preferences are the cause of the violence.

Verbal abuse: It is one of the most common kinds of violence. In the workplace, many employers or customers express negative statement about somebody’s actions or performance. It is also insidious and therefore is dangerous with devastating impact on people. A lot of crimes have occurred as reaction to verbal abuse.

Financial abuse: It takes place when somebody manipulates his economic power in order to control and suppress individual’s actions and willingness.

Jobs exposed to high risk violence

According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), nearly 2 million people are the victims of workplace violence each year from simple assaults to aggravated assaults. Even though police officers, correction officers, and taxi drivers are at the highest risk of becoming victims of workplace violence, research indicates that, in general, anyone working in a position in which they handle cash or other valuable items or provide service to the public or to customers, like super yacht crews which have direct contact with them, are at risk.

Historical data of violence in working place

Workplace violence statistics reveal how dangerous and risky it is to be an employee. Most career seekers and employees assume their potential place of work will be safe and secure. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Workplace violence is very real, can explode anytime, and anywhere.

Jobs involving with the public have the greatest risk of becoming a workplace violence statistic. There were about 78% of incidents involving fistfights or other physical actions; a shocking 17% were shooting, with one death reported as a results. Also, about 6% of the violent acts were committed by an employee toward another employee, 13% by an employee to supervisor, and 7% by customers against employees. Males committed more than 80 % of the violence, and serious harm was reported to have occurred in 22% of the cases. Medical treatment was administered to 42% of those involved.

Factors that influence different levels of violence in the workplace

There is no doubt that the occurrence of aggressive behavior in the workplace has a negative impact not only to the organizations' efficacy, but also to the overall quality of work and peace of mind of its employees.

Although there have been developed stereotypes about the typical profile of the aggressive employee, many researchers have identified a range of different factors that influence the different levels of violence in the workplace with an interpersonal and an organizational dimension.

Organizational factors

These factors include a range of conditions and actions that are professed by people and are influenced by other individuals of the organization.

Distributive injustice

Distributive injustice is perceived as the unfairness associated with the outcomes. These outcomes may be material like the salary of the employee or can be insubstantial like negative comments on the employee’s work and effort.

Procedural injustice

Procedural injustice is the unfairness associated with the procedures used in order to arrive to outcomes. This factor usually leads the employees to express aggressive behavior against the organization, because the procedures and measures are determined by the organization.

Situational constraints

Situational constraints are stressful conditions that interfere with the employee’s work routine. These stresses lead the employee to negative emotions which obstruct his performance and goals.

Job dissatisfaction

Job dissatisfaction refers to whether individuals like their job or not. People who are displeased with their job they are likely to be less productive by many ways and therefore they act in destructive ways toward the organization.

Rigid rules and procedures.

This factor is met in many violent reported incidents. There are cases where the organization objectively has rigid rules and procedures and there are cases where the employees percept the policies of the organization as rigid and strict. In both cases, the outcomes are similar as the employee feels to work under pressure and that leads him to express aggressive behavior against the organization.

Adverse work conditions.

Although the adverse work conditions and their relation to violent behavior, and their correlation has been demonstrated to be of low-level, however up to some point they do influence the individuals’ behaviors. Adverse work conditions usually include high levels of noise, high or low temperatures, overcrowding, working with hazardous materials, jobs that require high physical effort and jobs that include threats to safety.

Human factors

These factors refer to stable personality traits and other factors which are different between people and they influence the way they react.

Trait anger

Trait anger is the predisposition of an individual to react to certain situations with hostility. Some individuals are more prone to trait anger than others and are likely to become more easily provoked because they percept different situations as frustrating. Because of that tendency, these individuals become more easily aggressive and they are involved in incidents of violence.

Negative affectivity

Negative affectivity is the predisposition of an individual to express dissatisfaction and to experience distressing emotions such as stress, frustration, fear, hostility and anger. Some individuals are more prone to negative affectivity and are more sensitive and more reactive to negative conditions and events. Although is normal for people to feel bad under certain situations, however individuals high in negative affectivity have the tendency to feel bad more often.

Gender

The majority of the studies have shown that males are more prone to violent behaviors than females. On the other hand there are indications that gender differences may not be as great for less obvious forms of violence such as gossip and stealing.

Age

The association of age and expression of violence has been studied by several behavioral scientists and the majority agrees that age is associated with the level of violence. Usually younger individuals are more prone to aggressive behaviors than older people. The most possible explanation for this is that as people grow older become more mature and can understand better the consequences of their actions and so they can have a better control over their anger.

Use of alcohol and drugs

The excess use of alcohol and drugs is associated in most of the times with the expression of aggressive behaviors. The fact that these individuals show violent behaviors across a variety of settings (family, relationships, and intimate partners) makes them potentially violent individuals at their workplace.

Past history of aggressive behavior

Individuals with a past history of violent behavior have been associated with increased incidence of workplace violence. A violent personality is characterized by a stable psychological behavior of violence. Such individuals usually express aggressive behaviors in different aspects of their social life including their place of work.

Organizational and human factors interaction 

As described above both organizational and human factors can influence the process of violence at workplace. However many different interactions among these factors are likely to cause violent behaviors at workplace. If the organization has an aggressive culture and the employee is prone to violent behaviors, it is more likely that this combination will lead to the development of violent acts.

Indications of potential commitment of act of violence

Workplace violence seems to have an evolution creating a spiral which begins when the individual encounters an event (actual or perceived) he or she experiences as frustrating or stressful. The worker isolates him or herself from the input of others, enters the mode of self-protection and self-justification in which a violent act may come to be perceived as the only way out. The final step is in the violent act itself, which may occur from hours to months later.

There are no absolute predictors of violence; however, these are some guidelines and recommendations.

1. Threats are often a prelude to violence; threats and gestures should be taken seriously.
2. Significant changes in the worker’s mood, behavior, or personality may signal the potential for violence.
3. Disorganized physical appearance or dress; changes in facial appearance or attempts to conceal the face: evidence of substance abuse, severe agitation; verbal argumentativeness or threats, especially to specific persons and threats or talk weapons could be a warning of impending violence.

Workplace violence can be viewed in four stages: the anxiety phase, the defensive phase where the employee comes to feel increasingly trapped and out of options, the acting-out phase where the employee has already lost some control, and the tension-reduction phase where the immediate crisis has passed and the employee should be ready to accept help to reduce his or her level of tension. Workplace violence prevention should receive the same priority as fire prevention.

It is impossible to predict what anyone else is going to do. But according to experts, there are enough indications of impending violence to pay attention to, so that an individual's risk for violence can be appraised. Those who study workplace violence know that there is a psychological profile of someone who is likely to commit an act of violence. A combination of a few (or more) of the following behaviors should be reason for concern.

• Difficulty getting along with others: They are unreasonable and often make inappropriate remarks about others. They are never content with the status quo and are always upset by everyone and everything.
• Controlling behaviors: In their minds, they are superior and everyone else is beneath them. They always force their opinion on others. They are control freaks and can’t deal with change.
• Clinical paranoia: They may not yet be diagnosed, but they think others—including their friends, family, fellow employees and the government—are out to get them. They are conspiracy theorists.
• Power obsession: They own firearms, are members of paramilitary groups, and subscribe to numerous military, law enforcement or underground military group chat communities or newsletters.
• Victim attitudes: They never take responsibility for their behaviors, faults, mistakes or actions. They always blame others; it’s always someone else’s fault.
• Litigious nature: Taking legal action against neighbors and employers and constantly filing grievances is their way of virtually controlling others.
• Constant anger: Hate and anger are how they get through the day. Coworkers, family, friends and the government are all the reasons why they are mad.
• Violent opinions: They see acts of violence in the media, such as shootings, domestic violence as reasons to celebrate.
• Vindictive references: They say things like, “He will get his someday,” or “What comes around goes around,” or “One of these days I’ll have my say.”
• Odd behaviors: They might be good at their jobs but lack social skills. Their presence makes others feel uncomfortable. They have an edge to them that makes others not to want to be around them.
• Unhealthy habits: Sleep disorders, always being tired, dramatic weight loss or gain, or numerous health-related problems issues plague them. They are often addicted to drugs, alcohol or numerous other substances.
• Recent layoff: A combination of any of these traits that leads to job loss can set an ex-employee off.

Prevention and Corrective Actions

Workplace violence causes a significant number of workplace fatalities and injuries around the world. But most important in Superyacht industry is the impression an angry crew gives to the customer who has paid a huge amount of money for calm and relaxed holidays and on the contrary he deals with aggressive behaviors. This situation could ruin the whole reputation of a company. Data on workplace fatalities show assaults and other violent acts are among the leading causes of work-related deaths.

In the short-term, employers can take steps to make the workplace safer.

In the long-term, these steps will not be fully successful unless the underlying causes of violence are addressed. It is critical for businesses that labor agencies, the society, education entities, law enforcement and government agencies undertake a collaborative approach to prevention.

Proactive Steps to prevent Violence in the Workplace 

Although, making sure your business has solid workplace-violence education and response policies in place, employment screening can go a long way toward preventing workplace violence before it happens. The value of these screenings can literally be measured in lives. Weeding out potential violent workers before they have an opportunity to act before they are hired is one way to make workplaces safer.

Screening potential employees for such factors as work history, criminal backgrounds, references, drug and alcohol use can render foreseeable and preventable workplace violence a thing of the past. With the expenses for workplace violence running about five times more than prevention, it also makes fiscal sense to screen.

Reaction to workplace violence

Violent behavior must not be seen as an isolated event but as a process. The intervention starts at a baseline, moves to a pre-assault stage, and continues to what is called the assault stage.

At the baseline, personnel observe factors concerned with the customers, environment and service-giver.

The pre-assaultive stage encompasses three interventions:

1. prevent fear, insecurity, and anxiety;
2. reduce the outburst of anger;
3. decrease agitation.

The assault stage requires efforts towards psychological, physical and pharmacological levels.

Traditionally the focus has been on physical violence towards personnel but in recent years more attention has been paid to the non-physical violence. In a resent investigation work related violence was defined as both verbal and physical aggression.

Preventive interventions can include reviewing work environment activities and procedures with regard to threats and acts of violence.

There are several measures companies can take to restore confidence after a workplace violence incident. This begins with messages from the top management emphasizing the company’s willingness to take justifiable responsibility, address the causes of the incident in a forthright manner, provide services for all who need them, and take every necessary step and reasonable action to prevent a similar incident from recurring.

A positive outcome that can emerge from a workplace violence incident is in the nature of what can be learned in order to reduce the chance of similar tragedy happening in the future.

Organizations that encourage a fair and honorable corporate culture are more likely to earn the respect and loyalty of their employees and reduce the risk of avoidable tragedies.

Many forms of violence can occur against workers, customers/clients, such as physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, spiritual, cultural, verbal abuse, and financial abuse.

Research indicates that any individual can face or cause violence acts at the workplace. Employers can take steps to make the workplace safer and these steps will not be fully successful unless the underlying causes of violence are addressed. All businesses today must undertake collaborative approaches to prevent the workplace violence thus protect their reputation, ensure smooth operations and avoid serious legal and other expenses.

References

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• LeBlanc M.M., Kelloway E.K. (2002). Predictors and outcomes of workplace violence and aggression. J Appl Psychol.;87(3):444-53
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• Aggression. SA Journal of human resource management. 2005, 3(1), 1-5
• U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Workplace Violence 1993-2009, March 2011, by Erika Harrell, Ph.D., BJS Statistician
• U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and health Administration, OSHA Fact Sheet, Workplace Violence, 2002