Violence in the workplace, even though very common, doesn’t take place suddenly or happen withoutany kind of warning. Usually, there are some factors that are attached to the incident which increase in number or continuity and ranging from minor acts which only worry or disturb fellow employees; they lead up to major and serious acts of violence against a person or group of people.
More often than not, seemingly minor incidents of aggressive or assaultive behavior are not taken seriously, even though these are considered to be the early warning signs of a major incident about to happen in the work-place. It is highly suggested that minor incidents which reflect this type of behavior should be immediately reported to the appropriate person at work.
What Is Assaultive Behavior?
The word ‘assault’, to most people, simply means an attempt by a person or persons to cause injury from hitting, punching or kicking. In truth, this kind of behavior isn’t confined to physical attacks only.
Assaultive behavior can be defined as any unwanted contact of a physical nature, even when the attacker has no intent of causing injury.
Example: Suppose, a co-worker corners you in a place or situation from where there is no way of going out, starts using abusive or menacing words, or implies through his/her body language any evil intent; this physical contact will be termed as assaultive behavior as well as the early sign of a potential violent incident.
Warning Signs You Should Look Out For
As already explained, there are some clear warning signs that can inform workers of an incident of violence that can happen in the workplace against a person or group of people in the near future.
A research conducted by the Workplace Violence Institute made it clear that the warning signs include:
Always Trust Your Instincts
It’s not very easy to report a co-worker’s behavior, as we don’t give it serious thought and usually dismiss the entire notion as an isolated incident. However, in the past few incidents of work-place violence that were investigated, it was found out that prior to the actual incident; co-workers saw but didn’t report any of the warning signs to the concerned party.
This means, it’s very important to trust your instinct when it comes to these matters and to report the incident without any hesitation.
What Employers Can Do?
A surefire way to deal with this problem and to effectively prevent violence in the work-place; employers can make sure that the people under their employment know and understand what they must do to deal with a situation that requires defense against physical confrontation or assault.
MABPRO is a similar prevention program against aggression and violence in the work-place, which has been helping and training individuals since 1976 to protect themselves in a better manner.
More often than not, seemingly minor incidents of aggressive or assaultive behavior are not taken seriously, even though these are considered to be the early warning signs of a major incident about to happen in the work-place. It is highly suggested that minor incidents which reflect this type of behavior should be immediately reported to the appropriate person at work.
What Is Assaultive Behavior?
The word ‘assault’, to most people, simply means an attempt by a person or persons to cause injury from hitting, punching or kicking. In truth, this kind of behavior isn’t confined to physical attacks only.
Assaultive behavior can be defined as any unwanted contact of a physical nature, even when the attacker has no intent of causing injury.
Example: Suppose, a co-worker corners you in a place or situation from where there is no way of going out, starts using abusive or menacing words, or implies through his/her body language any evil intent; this physical contact will be termed as assaultive behavior as well as the early sign of a potential violent incident.
Warning Signs You Should Look Out For
As already explained, there are some clear warning signs that can inform workers of an incident of violence that can happen in the workplace against a person or group of people in the near future.
A research conducted by the Workplace Violence Institute made it clear that the warning signs include:
- Verbally threatening or abusive behavior
- Sudden outbursts of anger
- Disturbing jokes about violence or weapons
- Sudden change in grooming habits that are unexplainable
- General paranoia
- An extreme reaction to changes in work policy
- A distant and depressive behavior
Always Trust Your Instincts
It’s not very easy to report a co-worker’s behavior, as we don’t give it serious thought and usually dismiss the entire notion as an isolated incident. However, in the past few incidents of work-place violence that were investigated, it was found out that prior to the actual incident; co-workers saw but didn’t report any of the warning signs to the concerned party.
This means, it’s very important to trust your instinct when it comes to these matters and to report the incident without any hesitation.
What Employers Can Do?
A surefire way to deal with this problem and to effectively prevent violence in the work-place; employers can make sure that the people under their employment know and understand what they must do to deal with a situation that requires defense against physical confrontation or assault.
MABPRO is a similar prevention program against aggression and violence in the work-place, which has been helping and training individuals since 1976 to protect themselves in a better manner.
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