Types of Workplace Violence
Workplace violence can start as a small incident involving negative remarks and inappropriate behavior.
4 Types of Workplace Violence
However, it may quickly escalate to physical or psychological violence.
While agreeing on that broader definition of the problem, specialists have also come to a consensus that workplace violence falls into four broad categories.
This type of violence involves verbal threats, threatening behavior, or physical assaults by an assailant who has no legitimate business relationship to the workplace. The person enters the workplace to commit a robbery or other criminal act.
Violence by strangers accounts for most of the fatalities related to workplace violence. Workplaces at risk of violence by strangers commonly include late night retail establishments and taxi cabs. Road rage and terrorism are becoming more common as a possible sources of Type I violence affecting workers who drive as a part of their job.
The person causing violence is either recipient or object of a service provided by workplace. He/she is a current or former client, passenger, or customer. Type II violence involves verbal threats, threatening behavior or physical assaults by an assailant who either receives services from or is under the custodial supervision of the affected workplace or the victim. Assailants can be current or former customers and clients such as passengers, patients, students, inmates, criminal suspects or prisoners. Violence by customers or clients may occur on a daily basis in certain industries; they represent the majority of non-fatal injuries related to workplace violence.
The person has an employment-related involvement with the workplace such as a current or former employee who is angry about a situation. Job related violence involves verbal threats, threatening behavior or physical assaults by an assailant such as a current or former employee, supervisor or manager.
Any workplace can be at risk of violence by a co-worker. In committing a threat or assault, the individual may be seeking revenge for what is perceived as unfair treatment.
A person who has a relationship with a current or former employee such as an abusive spouse or domestic partner, relative, friend or acquaintance.
Domestic violence erupting at work is one of the most common types of workplace violence and involves verbal threats, threatening behavior or physical assaults by an assailant who, in the workplace, confronts an individual with whom he or she has or had a personal relationship outside of work. The assailant's actions are motivated by perceived difficulties in the relationship or by psychosocial factors that are specific to the assailant.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-5. In this type of violence, the individual may be seeking revenge for what is perceived as unfair treatment by management.
You forgot to answer the question!