What Is A Workplace:
A workplace is any location that you will perform a task, action or an event, for someone else, (unless self-employed), that relates to employment that is paid, or in a voluntary capacitary. In the workplace for the most part you’ll interact with others, these relationships will be both positive and negative.
What is Workplace Violence:
The following is an internationally agreed definition.
“ a range of unacceptable behaviours and practices” that “aim at, result in, or are likely to result in physical, psychological, sexual or economic harm “.
Sourced from the International Labour Organisation:
The violence can be in one of several ways, physical, psychological, sexual, or verbal, but just because I said “one” of several ways doesn’t actually mean that only one will be used. You may have been called names, whilst at the same time having been pushed or poked so here you have both physical and verbal.
Other forms of attacks can be character-based attacks some time referred to as (character assassination) this is usually based on slandering an individual, the aim is to target an individual and to aim to undermine another’s credibility, this would result in some one’s character being portrayed in a specific way.
- This could be through sexual encounter
- It could be trying to undermine someone’s confidence to perform a task, becausee the victim knows more then the workplace bully
- It could be getting the victim to perform a task they are not skilled for, they then claim that the victim is incapable to complete a task
- Simply undermining both their confidence personally to them, and there performance to others, to give them the boost the feel they need when in fact it is the workplace bully feels inferior to others
Blackmail is using some form of leverage over another, this may not be considered workplace violence in the traditional sense, but, you are still using threats, or intimidation to gain control over another. This may be a result of a sexual encounter; it may be the discovery of personal information that the victims wish to remain private and confidential.
Violence can be directed from known individuals or strangers, retail as an example, an assault in a shop could originate from a stranger, like wise an assault in a garage forecourt for example may originate from a regular customer that is having personal issue that just erupt without warning.
Every company should do a risk assessment to identify the risks to their clients, customers or staff. That said from a personal perspective being aware of what is going off around you is important.
What you have to consider, is that “not every violent situation” is down to anger and aggression, there are instances where mental health is a factor.
Example: if you have an individual that has an extreme anxiety, or phobia, in or around medical establishments, doctors, medical or clinical establishments, or suffer from “white coat syndrome” they will react extremely differently if suddenly confronted by a doctor or a paramedic, or suddenly come around to find themselves in the back of an ambulance after a sudden or unexpected blackout. There reaction may be to lash out and fight, not because they are angry, but this will be out of fear.
Some of the early signs of a potential violent escalation may include, but may not be limited to, physical or audible behaviour, the voice is an early indicator.
Audible outbursts: An aggressor may use a statement like “what are you looking at”, “have you seen enough”.
Restless behaviour: An aggressor may be constantly walking backward, forward or around in circles, sometimes referred to as pacing about, as their frustration is slowly raising, like the water that is slowly boiling in a kettle.
Visual indication: An aggressor may start to look with an intense stare, extreme eye contact, wide eyed, like they are trying to burn a hole in your head.
Invading behaviour: An aggressor may be starting to form a fist, whilst beginning to encroach in your personal space, sometimes referred to as “getting in your face”.
Physical behaviour: An aggressor may whist extremely close widen their arms, whilst being aggressively verbal, that also results in arm stretching thus broadens out there chest, whist encroached they may start to push or shove.
The aim is to try not to get to this stage in the first instance, giving yourself distance is crucial whilst trying to avoid these situations in the first instance. Avoidance is the better form of judgement, you have to consider that this individual may not be alone, they may be carrying some form of concealed weapon, they may be under the influence of a chemical enhancement, that could be drugs, or alcohol or maybe both.
I have included a video in this piece as I think it is a great video that will further help us all with researching, how we can all, as long as we are aware of what is going off around spot the early signs of potential violence from others.