A conversation about the increase of violence at work

I had other plans for this month’s column, but

I can’t ignore the devastation that has occurred because of gun violence. I am not going to take on gun control here. What I do want to do is illuminate is the pervasiveness of violence occurring in workplaces and what we can do. Along with that, I want you to consider that the possibility of this happening at your workplace is real.

Mass shootings

For this discussion I’m going to focus on mass-shootings, specifically. The definitions vary in the U.S., but Richard Berk, University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Criminology reports that “The Congressional Research Service defines mass shootings, as multiple, firearm, homicide incidents, involving 4 or more victims at one or more locations close to one another. The FBI definition is essentially the same.”

According to The Washington Post, mass shootings “have been on the rise.” They report the incidents for the past three years: almost 700 in 2021; 611 in 2020; 417 in 2019. They also note that the number of incidents in a year have never exceeded 400 since the Gun Violence Archive started tracking in 2014.

We’re not even at the halfway mark of 2022, and we’re already at 254 incidents (at least four each week) in 40 U.S. states (at press time). And, I looked more closely at where they occurred: supermarket, elementary school, hospital, nightclub, arts festivals, bowling alley, public bus, gas station, funeral home, church, subway. All are workplaces for someone!

So, let’s review: mass shootings are increasing; they occur in 77% of U.S. states and they happen anywhere people live, work or play. Do I have your attention?

Violence in the workplace

Bringing this to work, we have more sobering facts. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shares data: “each year, an average of nearly 2 million U.S. workers report having been a victim of violence at work (Occupational Safety and Health Administration); annual workplace homicides is approximately 400 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).”

A 2020 report from Voice of America News reported in a history of Workplace Shootings that “workplaces were the most common sites for mass shootings, at 31%.” In May of 2021,

NPR reported a “spike in workplace shootings.” The rationale for the increase is simple and scary — more people are back at work, returning after a year working remotely because of COVID.

So far in 2022, we’ve had the Buffalo (N.Y.) supermarket and the Tulsa (Okla.) medical building shootings, with a total of 14 fatalities and 3 injuries. SHRM reports from their 2022 survey of U.S. workers that “28 percent of workers have either witnessed aggressive interactions between coworkers (20 percent) and/ or have actually been involved in them personally (8 percent).”

JD Supra, a daily source of intelligence on professional and personal matters, warns that “the rise in workplace violence, and violence in general, should prompt employers to consider what they can and should do to protect their employees, customers, and business.” They emphasize that this is even more critical now that more employees are being required to return to work onsite.

What can we do? I remember Lucent Technologies, as far back as the late 90s, being more than proactive, they were trailblazers. I was called in to create and facilitate, in collaboration with their company security leaders, a three-session workshop on preventing and dealing with workplace violence. The interesting point is their actions weren’t the reaction to an incident, at least not at the two plants where I consulted. They saw this as an important step to preventing a tragedy.

JD Supra advises three things: comprehensive anti-violence policy that bans weapons in the workplace, and wherever legal, outside the surrounding areas of the workplace and includes detailed instructions about reporting violence or threatening behavior. Second, a pre-hire background check policy. Third, a badge security system. This might not be feasible for smaller companies, but tracking and monitoring who is on your campus and why is something every employer can do.

Another excellent resource for what to do comes from SHRM in their Toolkit, “Understanding Workplace Violence Prevention and Response.” They outline compliance requirements by OSHA; how to prepare for workplace violence by identifying the types of violence, being aware of warning signs and having a plan; and, how to respond to workplace violence in the case of active shooters, domestic violence and other threats.

As I noted above, SHRM reported this year that 28% of workers have witnessed or been a victim of workplace violence. Next week, we’ll learn how that compares with our readers.

NEXT WEEK » Challenge the Prof: Is there Violence in your Workplace?

Dr. Santo D. Marabella, The Practical Prof, is a professor emeritus of management at Moravian University and hosts the podcast “Office Hours with The Practical Prof … and Friends.” His latest book, “The Lessons of Caring” is written to inspire and support caregivers (available in paperback and eBook). Website: ThePracticalProf. com; Twitter: @ PracticalProf; Facebook: ThePracticalProf.