6.3.EssayAssignment.ViolenceandTerrorism.SerenityMiller
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Dec 6, 2023
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Workplace Violence
Serenity A. Miller
SFTY 201: Intro to Occupational Safety and Health
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide
Instructor: Katherine Friend
November 26
th
, 2023
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Workplace Violence
Rise in Workplace Violence
There are four main reasons that there has been a rise in workplace violence in the past
few years: short staffing, organized management, cost of living, and work ethic loss. Industries
worldwide are constantly facing short staffing and turnover rates unseen before. It all started with
the pandemic but has progressed even after it has ended. To better understand how dramatic this
turn is, "In 2022, more than 50 million workers quit their jobs, following the 47.8 million who
did so in 2021. In 2023, this trend has gradually subsided, with 30.5 million workers resigning as
of August" (Ferguson & Hoover, 2023). With this loss in the workforce, more work has been
pushed onto workers staying without the pay or benefits increase, even though the cost of living
has increased rapidly. On top of this loss of staff, management teams are weak due to the lack of
workers and the lack of work ethic needed to be a manager.
Contributing Factors
There are many ways to analyze workplace violence. For this section, we will analyze the
factors leading to workplace violence being formed and maintained. Four main factors are to
consider: culture, external factors, personal conflicts, and stress. These factors are the foremost
leaders in turning a work environment into a violent workplace. Workplace culture "can be
defined as how people behave and the attitudes and beliefs that inform those behaviors" (Yohn,
2021). That said, when a culture becomes toxic, it starts to develop into a violent workplace.
Workplace culture can become toxic quickly and irreversibly due to factors such as a lack of
communication between managers, employees, and even the business heads themselves. Another
factor is poor management skills; when there is no order and things are not accomplished, this
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introduces stress and irritation. When these emotional factors are triggered, employees feel
undervalued, leading to many more emotions and tension outbreaks.
Meanwhile, external factors range from the economy to the typical household. When it
comes to employees, it is usually related to financial stability being lost for their household. On
the other hand, when the company fails because of external factors such as the economy
crashing, it directly affects the workers. On the other hand, the factor of personal conflicts can be
"defined as a person or group of people who interfere with another person's attempts at achieving
goals" (2023). These conflicts develop quickly and are usually built over many events stemming
from jealousy, competition, or personal bias, creating an unhealthy work environment.
The last factor is stress. Stress and emotional causes affect the mind and the body;
meanwhile, in the workplace, it results in employee burnout and workers lashing out at others
and customers. These emotions get triggered by excessive workloads, social pressures, and lack
of organization.
Steps of Avoidance
Training and Awareness
:
Familiarize employees with identifying warning signs, conflict
solutions, and de-escalation techniques.
Security Measures: Enforce access management, surveillance, and panic buttons.
Clear Policies: Develop and communicate clear workplace violence policies that allow
proper executions.
Emergency Preparedness: Prepare for terrorist attacks by conducting drills, creating
evacuation plans, and training staff on emergency procedures.
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Prep
All places of work should always be prepared for the worst because places such as
workplaces are vulnerable to terrorist attacks because of the groups of people who come in and
out of the establishment and have more significant economic impacts due to the disruption of
business. Because of these reasons, employers must prepare and protect their staff and customers
by having a terrorist plan of action and informing workers of the proper protocols.
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References
Ferguson, S., & Hoover, M. (2023, November 14).
Understanding America’s labor shortage:
The most impacted industries
. U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/understanding-americas-labor-shortage-the-most-
impacted-industries
Interpersonal conflict: Types and how to resolve them - indeed
. Indeed. (2023).
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/interpersonal-conflict
Yohn, D. L. (2021, February 9).
Company culture is everyone’s responsibility
. Harvard Business
Review.
https://hbr.org/2021/02/company-culture-is-everyones-responsibility