Aggression, Violence in the Workplace: How It Affects the Victim and What Can Be Done to Prevent It.
Studies suggest that violence and aggression are an increasingly common occurrence in organizations large and small across the globe (Repetti, Seeman & Taylor, 1997; Waldron, 2000; Coombs & Holladay, 2004). Aggression and violence are serious problems that can have short and long term consequences on individuals and organizations. As such it is vital that organizations become aware of the problem and take steps to prevent them. In this paper the researcher will explore how violence and aggression in the workplace affects victims and what measures can be taken to prevent or address violence and aggression in the workplace. Commonly held beliefs suggest that work is a safe environment for people to engage in business interaction. Studies however suggest that violence and aggression often occur at work, sometimes directly and often indirectly. Such negative behaviors and attitudes can result in multiple problems including stress related emotional and physical illnesses. These ideas are explored in greater detail below. Effects of Aggression and Violence in the Workplace Repetti, Seeman & Taylor (1997) suggest that an aggressive or violent workplace can increase illness and poor health in the workplace. The
Other techniques that can effectively address workplace violence include training for both management teams and individuals. Training must be long term and ongoing to ensure that employees and managers alike are continually reminded of the importance of creating a safe and inviting workplace. Training can help teach individuals how to communicate more clearly and how to diffuse aggressive situations before they become violent or uncomfortable. This should form the foundation for workplace aggression and violence programs geared toward ending workplace violence and providing a safe and comfortable environment for employees to work and communicate within. Addressing Violence and Aggression At Work Thanks to much research in the area of workplace violence experts now realize that workplace aggression is more a structural and strategic issue contained within social, economic, cultural and organizational contexts (ILO, 2000). This suggests that to resolve the problem organizations must overcome the causes rather than respond to the consequences of workplace violence. Appropriate strategies then must include prevention which may include creation of a written policy against violence and aggression, appropriate screening of candidates for aggressive tendencies and training that helps instill interpersonal and communications skills employees and mangers can use to defuse aggressive situations (ILO, 2000; Williams, 2003; Coombs & Holladay, 2004). researchers contend that chronic illness is often the result of psychological factors that may include hostility in the workplace. This is partly due to chronic stress experienced by individuals working in environments that are increasingly aggressive or violent. Chronic stress is associated with multiple poor health outcomes in varying circumstances.
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Approximate Word count = 1395
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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