In today’s fast paced, stress riddled work environment it is no surprise that the workplace can become a foreground for violence. Employers must be extra careful when hiring and firing employees and stay aware with what is happening in the work environment that surrounds them. Extra precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of all employees in the workplace. Too many times employers do not take the proper steps in preventing workplace violence and the consequences are disastrous. Violence on the job or even after hours can take a very negative toll on an entire business. In order to prevent danger in the workplace, employers must know how to identify potential violence and be familiar with the necessary steps to prevent it from happening.Violent acts in the workplace come from a diverse population of perpetrators. Employees, former employees, clients, strangers, and even employers are all potential sources of violent behavior. In most cases, the person responsible for workplace slayings fits a certain stereotype. The violent person is either an unhappy employee, a frustrated customer, or in some type of relationship with an employee in the company, and almost always a socially reclusive male (Chavez, Workplace 1). According to Larry J. Chavez, a hostage negotiator with the Sacramento Police Department, there are many factors that result in violent situations in the workplace. Lack of rules regarding conduct, lack of awareness about violence, and poor violence reporting procedures are all practices that contribute to violence in the workplace (Chavez, Organizational 1). A tyrannical or oppressive management approach is also very likely to cause harmful reactions among employees. Certain events in the workplace such as layoffs and downsizing, increased workloads, and hostility between employees and their employer very often result in harmful situations (Chavez, Organizational 2). Another cause of fatal workplace ...
