ESLSCA
MIBA - Group 43C
Contemporary Management Course

Case Study # 01 Worksheet
Workplace Violence

Version 1.0: 07 Jun 2013
Presented by: Hossam Bashir

I. Problem Definition:

Workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against workers. It can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide, one of the leading causes of job-related deaths.
However it manifests itself, workplace violence is a growing concern for employers and employees nationwide, representing a real challenge for employers to provide a safe working environement for employees.

According to specialists, workplace violence falls into four broad categories:

TYPE 1: Violent acts by criminals who have no other connection with the workplace, but enter to commit robbery or another crime.

TYPE 2: Violence directed at employees by customers, clients, patients, students, inmates, or any others for whom an organization provides services.

TYPE 3: Violence against coworkers, supervisors, or managers by a present or former employee.

TYPE 4: Violence committed in the workplace by someone who doesn’t work there, but has a personal relationship with an employee—an abusive spouse or domestic partner.

II. Justification to Problem Definition:
Statistical data and reports proivde a clear evidence that workplace violence is a growing threat nationwide.

* According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18,104 assaults and 609 homicides occurred at workplaces throughout the United States in 2002. Such violence prompted the Centers for Disease Control to label workplace violence a “national epidemic.” * The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that homicide was the leading cause of death for women at work, accounting for 42% of on-the-job fatalities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after motor vehicle incidents, homicide is the leading cause of death in the workplace.

* The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 1,004 workers murdered on the job in 1992; about at one-third increase over workplace homicides than during the 1980's. The Justice Department reported in 1994 that one-sixth of all violent crimes in the United States occur in the workplace.

* The American Management Association surveyed 500 companies and nearly one-fourth stated that a minimum of one worker had been attacked or murdered on the job since 1990. Almost one-third stated that a violent incident has occurred more than one time.

* According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, guns account for 75% of workplace homicide deaths. * Some 2 million American workers are victims of workplace violence each year. Workplace violence can strike anywhere, and no one is immune. Some workers, however, are at increased risk. Among them are workers who exchange money with the public; deliver passengers, goods, or services; or work alone or in small groups, during late night or early morning hours, in high-crime areas, or in community settings and homes where they have extensive contact with the public. This group includes health-care and social service workers such as visiting nurses, psychiatric evaluators, and probation officers; community workers such as gas and water utility employees, phone and cable TV installers, and letter carriers; retail workers; and taxi drivers.

III. List of Alternative course of actions:

1. Nationwide research, both quantitative and qualitative, should be carried out to clarify the scope and costs of workplace violence and to evaluate and improve violence-prevention strategies by understanding the contributing factors behind workplace violence. 2. Psychological health checks by employers at hiring stage. 3. Employers workplace Policies and Plans zero-tolerance policy towards workplace violence. 4. Stringent checks at employers workplace (example: use of Metal Detectors) 5. Develop employees awarness and training programs 6. Change the arming US laws to strictly limit arms acquisition and use by US citizens. 7. Preventive Law Enforcement : specialized police units to monitor and responds to signs of workplace violence proactively specially for small business empoyers. 8. Implement (One size fits all) approach at empolyers end. (Rigid policy from occupational safety agencies to be implemented by all employers) 9. Domestic violence close monitoring and preventing its stalking into workplace. 10. Government’s Role: Occupational safety agencies should make workplace violence prevention a priority, by review and update relevant laws to see if there are ways to improve employee safety without jeopardizing individual rights.

IV. Evaluation of Alternatives

a. Solution Selection Matrix tool: (1: Low score – 5: Medium score – 10: High score) SolutionEvaluation of solution | Cost (Low cost = High score) | Easy | Impact on solving the problem | Employers Buy in | Employees Buy in | Total | Proposed Solutions | | | | | | Score | Rank | 1 | Nationwide research | 10 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 45 | 1 | 2 | Psychological health checks by employers at hiring stage | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 7 | 3 | Employers workplace Policies and Plans | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | 2 | 4 | Stringent checks (Metal detectors) | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 8 | 5 | Develop employees awarness and training programs | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | 3 | 6 | Change the arming US laws | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 7 | Preventive Law Enforcement : specialized police units | 1 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 36 | 4 | 8 | Implement (One size fits all) approach by authorities at empolyers end | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 9 | Domestic violence close monitoring and preventing its stalking into workplace | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 6 | 10 | Government’s Role: Occupational safety agencies should review and update relevant laws | 5 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 35 | 5 |

b. Justification of Evaluation: * Accepted Alternatives: 1. Nationwide research & campaign:
A national campaign should be conducted to increase public awareness and knowledge concerning workplace violence issues. This study will focus on: * Educating the public, legislators, and policymakers about the scope and costs of workplace violence. * Promoting local coalitions to become active in workplace violence and violenceprevention issues. * Encouraging employers to adopt violence-prevention policies and plans. * Enlisting major corporations and industry or employer associations in providing outreach and assistance to smaller employers. * Providing information and a model approach for similar awareness efforts by state and local occupational safety agencies.

2. Employers workplace Policies and Plans:
Employers should adopt clear no-threats and no-violence policies and prevention plans.
Violence-prevention policies and planning are instrumental for employers to help meet their legal and ethical obligation to provide a safe environment for their workers.

The best plans are based on a multidisciplinary model, drawing on the expertise of security officers, human resources managers, lawyers, mental health professionals, and others.

Accordingly, Employers should:

* Communicate the policy to employees at all levels of the company. * Survey employees to get their ideas about the incidence of violence, possible risks,and suggested preventive measures. * Encourage employees to report and log all incidents and threats of workplace violence. * Provide prompt medical evaluation and treatment after the incident. * Give support to violence-prevention measures. * Provide violence prevention training for managers, supervisors, and employees on a regular basis. * Practice the plan. * Provide physically secure work spaces and adopt staffing policies that will help keep * employees safe on the job. * Establish relations with police, social service and mental health providers, and other government and private agencies that can assist in threat assessment, threat management, and crisis management.

3. Develop employees awarness and training programs: * Training in violence prevention, threat detection, threat assessment, and threat management should become part of the workplace culture. * Workplace training programs for senior executives, managers, supervisors, and employees should be developed and disseminated through government agencies, local law enforcement, and employer and community organizations
.
4. Preventive Law Enforcement : (Example: creating specialized police units) * Responding to and better documentation of minor workplace incidents or cases of threats and harassment that could lead to violence, rather than waiting for a serious offense to occur. * Training officers in violence prevention, threat assessment, stalking and harassment laws, and other professional topics relevant to workplace violence. * Establishing and maintaining two-way contact with employers, advising on anti-violence * planning, and assisting in preparing for and managing potentially risky situations, such as carrying out layoffs or terminating a “problem” employee. Outreach efforts should be especially directed to smaller employers that do not have the resources to maintain their own security staff, employee assistance program, etc. * Federal law enforcement agencies, state police, and large police departments should consider creating specialized units assigned to conduct threat assessments and work with employers on violence prevention.These units should also be available to provide training and assistance to departments in smaller communities.

5. Domestic violence close monitoring and preventing its stalking into workplace: * When domestic violence follows an employee into the workplace, employers should support, protect, and help the abused partner, not punish her or him. * When an employee is being stalked, harassed, or abused at work by a domestic partner or other personal acquaintance, the employer should:

a. Take steps to keep the abuser out of the workplace (screening telephone calls, making the victim’s work space physically more secure, instructing security guards or receptionists, etc.). b. Assist the victim in receiving emotional, financial, and legal counseling. c. Support the employee in obtaining police protection or a restraining order against d. the abuser (in some cases, an employer may seek a restraining order of its own barring the abuser from its premises). e. Be flexible in allowing time off for medical treatment or court appearances.

6. Government’s Role: * Occupational safety agencies should make workplace violence prevention a priority, by review and update relevant laws to see if there are ways to improve employee safety without jeopardizing individual rights. * government agencies can play a key role in improving, supporting and extending violence-prevention efforts by the Nation’s private employers. * In addition to promoting public awareness, agencies should:

a. Develop systems for more complete and accurate monitoring of workplace violence incidents. b. Design and disseminate model policies and violence-prevention plans. c. Give special attention to developing violence-prevention strategies for smaller companies and for lower-paid, lower-status workers. d. Develop training programs for employers, supervisors, and employees. e. Compile and maintain lists of social service, mental health, legal, and other agencies, at f. the state and local level, that can provide assistance to employers or police departments in violence-prevention planning, training, threat assessment, employee counseling, etc.

* Rejected Alternatives: 1. Implement (One size fits all) approach by authorities at empolyers end This will not work since More than 20 million Americans, nearly one in every five in the non-government U.S labor force, work for firms that have fewer than 20 employees. There is a real need for extending workplace violence protection to small businesses, the business, law enforcement, occupational safety, and social service communities should consider a variety of possible actions.

Policies should be customized according to employer’s size and need. Agencies should help by designing model violence-prevention programs and accompanying training courses and materials that are specifically tailored to the needs and resources of small employers.

2. Change the US arming laws
Keeping and bearing arms is a right for US citizens according to the United States Constitution.
In 1791, the U.S. adopted the Second Amendment “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
This historical right is unique to the american soceity and changing that will not be accepted by Americans.

3. Stringent checks (Example: Metal detectors)
Although it is way to protect the employees at workplace, it is not efficient enough due to its high cost and still can not fully prevent the occurences of attacks. For example: attack could happen at the work’s park space outside the buliding itself.
In addition to creating an unpleasent daily environment at workplace for the employees who may consider this stringent checks as violation for their individual rights.

4. Psychological health checks by employers at hiring stage
Efficient screening by health checks during the hiring stage can help to point if there is a potential future risk for a candidate. But it will not protect the workplace against the risk of psychological changes for its current employees due to financial, family and work challenges that may face them and affect their psychological health and personal stability. V. Conclusion and recommendations:

Conclusion
The attention to workplace violence has grown as a real challenge that faces the whole society.
Clearly, violence in the workplace affects society as a whole.The economic cost, difficult to measure with any precision, is certainly substantial.There are intangible costs too.
Workplace violence creates ripples that go beyond what is done to a particular victim. It damages trust, community, and the sense of security every worker has a right to feel while on the job. In that sense, everyone loses when a violent act takes place, and everyone has a stake in efforts to stop violence from happening.
Accordingly, the solution approach should be a mixed one and needs all stakeholders’ involvment, contribution and comittment.
Recommendations:
The success of that effort will depend on the concern and actions of a number of constituents: Employers have a legal and ethical obligation to promote a work environment free from threats and violence and, in addition, can face economic loss as the result of violence in the form of lost work time, damaged employee morale and productivity, increased workers’ compensation payments, medical expenses, and possible lawsuits and liability costs.
Employers’ important roles in violence prevention can include: * Adopting a workplace violence policy and prevention program and communicating the policy and program to employees. * Providing regular training in preventive measures for all new/current employees, supervisors, and managers. * Supporting, not punishing, victims of workplace or domestic violence. * Adopting and practicing fair and consistent disciplinary procedures. * Fostering a climate of trust and respect among workers and between employees and management. * When necessary, seeking advice and assistance from outside resources, including threat-assessment psychologists, psychiatrists and other professionals, social service agencies, and law enforcement.

Employees have the right to expect a work environment that promotes safety from violence, threats, and harassment.They can actively contribute to preventive practices by doing the following: * Accept and adhere to an employer’s preventive policies and practices. * Become aware of and report violent or threatening behavior by coworkers or other warning signs. * Follow procedures established by the workplace violence prevention program, including those for reporting incidents.

Law enforcement agencies, over the last several years, have been leading the way in how they and the rest of the criminal justice system respond to domestic and school violence.
Those changes have placed greater emphasis on prevention and responding to threats and minor incidents, rather than the traditional view that police become involved only after a crime has occurred, that serious effort and police resources should be reserved for serious offenses.This proactive approach, utilizing community policing concepts, can be applied to workplace situations as well.This approach can include:

* Outreach to employers, especially to smaller employers that do not have the resources to maintain their own security staff. * Establishing contact and regular consultation with mental health and social service providers. * Setting up a system for assisting employers in background checks, workplace site reviews, evacuation plans, etc. * Assisting employers in developing prevention programs and assuring that threats or less serious incidents will be responded to. * Training officers in threat assessment and, if a department’s resources permit, establishing a specialized threat assessment unit. * Training officers in relevant laws (e.g. harassment and stalking ) and response procedures for workplace problems.
Unions should regard workplace safety, including safety from violence, as an employee’s right, just as worthy of union defense as wages or any other contractual right. A responsible union will include these among its obligations to its members:

* Support for employers’ violence prevention policies and practices. * Being a partner in designing and carrying out violence prevention programs. * Defending workers’ rights to due process, but also supporting appropriate disciplinary actions that protect everyone’s safety (e.g. sanctions for bringing a weapon to the workplace). * Cooperating with and contributing to training efforts.

Occupational safety and criminal justice agencies at the state and federal level can play an obvious and important role in meeting the workplace violence challenge.Their contributions can include efforts to:

* Improve monitoring and refine methods of calculating the incidence and costs of workplace violence. * Continue developing and refining model policies and violence prevention plans and conduct public awareness campaigns to inform employers about preventive strategies. * Give special attention to developing strategies that can improve violence prevention in smaller companies and for lower-paid, lower-status workers.

Medical, mental health, and social service communities also have a valuable role to play.
Their contributions can include:

* Refining and improving threat assessment methods and intervention strategies. * Outreach to employers, including smaller employers, to educate about risks and offer services for problem employees or in violence prevention planning. * Additional research in such areas as detecting warning signs, treatment of potentially dangerous people, workplace violence prevention training, incident monitoring and measurement, support services for victims, and helping employees after a traumatic event. Legislators, policymakers, and the legal community can review legal questions raised by efforts to prevent and mitigate threats and violence. Legislators, policymakers, and the legal community might consider whether adjustments to gun laws, laws governing privacy and defamation, the Americans with Disabilities Act, wrongful termination, and other legal areas have to be made to facilitate preventive efforts while still protecting individual rights.

Thank you and Best regards