Violence In The Workplace

Workplace violence is emerging as an important safety and health issue in today’s workplace. Workplace violence includes verbal assault, physical assault, and fatalities. In some cases the bully may not realize they are being the tormentor. Sometimes they may come from outside the work place harassing someone at the workplace. This is usually where the fatalities come in. Many employers have ways to report anonamously harassment. Once reported the human resources department begins the investigation. If workplace violence has not been reported, the person being bullied may fear retaliation. Workplace violence affects everyone around the situation. “Any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation or other threatening or disruptive

Many people may not even realize they are being bullies or being bullied. Some acts of violence may even seem unintentional. A majority of issues in the work place are not reported due to the fear of retaliation. People may fear losing their job or making the other employee angrier. There are many different types of violence noted to be found in the workplace. Even if an act is not causing physical harm to someone it is still considered to be violent. There is a saying that nurses eat their young. Many people think this is true due to the hostile work environments that new nurses are entering

A man named Bob Lype stated, “Because workplaces involve human interactions, and because humans are unpredictable, it will never be possible to prevent all workplace violence. However, certain steps are advisable to minimize risks and liabilities (Lype)”. Along with a no tolerance policy, companies need to put repercussions in place for the person performing the violent act. As well as to protect the person being bullied; things should be kept confidential to maintain safety for everyone. There should also be ways to report the issues without having to directly speak to someone; possibly submitting an anonymous letter, or email. Also, all persons in a position of authority should agree on the guidelines. It should be understood that the rules apply to everyone and no one receives special treatment. It is difficult for other nurses to watch as they see others being bullied; an article about the American Nurse explains this by saying, “We’re not formally taught how to deal with these situations. Some people are better at it than others. It takes building strong communication skills—and practice. We also need to empower bystanders who can walk over to support a colleague who may be in an uncomfortable situation