Workplace violence

Workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against workers. It may take place in a workplace or while an employee performs work. Workplace violence includes threats, physical assaults such as rape, and homicide. It often involves people who work with the public and exchange money or deliver goods, and those who work under risky conditions, such as in high-crime areas or in isolation. It is one of the leading causes of death related to work and affects a large number of people in social services and health care. Some instances involve conflicts between coworkers, while others involve former employees or customers. Some acts of violence are committed by managers against workers, while others are domestic violence issues that creep into a victim's work life.

The US Department of Labor has reported that it affects about two million American workers annually, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there were five hundred workplace homicides in 2016 alone. Well-publicized cases in the United States have included government workers, military facilities, schools and universities, production facilities, postal distribution centers, shopping centers, and small businesses. The phenomenon initially drew public attention following a series of shootings at postal service facilities beginning in the 1980s.

Background

Although workplace violence is not new, it was recognized as a significant concern in light of a number of attacks at postal service facilities that began late in the twentieth century. The first episode described as a postal service workplace massacre occurred in 1986 in Edmond, Oklahoma. Pat Sherrill, an employee who was about to be fired, killed fourteen mail workers and wounded six others. He shot and killed himself before law enforcement reached him.

In 1991, former postal employee Joseph Harris shot and killed two former coworkers at the post office in Ridgewood, New Jersey. The night before, he had used a sword to kill Carol Ott, his former supervisor, at her home, and shot her fiancé. Another 1991 attack, in Royal Oak, Michigan, by a fired worker, left four postal supervisors dead and five other employees wounded. The shooter, Thomas McIlvane, had been fired from the job; he shot and killed himself.

A congressional investigation called because of the 1991 attacks concluded in 1992 that job-related stress was likely a factor in the shootings. The report strongly recommended better pre-employment screening and training for supervisors. Yet in 1993, two more shootings at postal service sites took place on the same day—May 6—in Dearborn, Michigan, and Dana Point, California.

Other businesses saw similar violent acts. In 1990, a man whose vehicle had been repossessed went to the Jacksonville, Florida, GMAC office with a gun. He shot fifteen people, killing nine, before he killed himself. A person who had been fired from a job at Fireman's Fund Insurance in 1993 entered the Tampa, Florida, office building and shot five people, killing three. In 1999, a day trader in Atlanta, Georgia, experienced financial losses. He killed his wife and two children, whose bodies were not discovered in their home until several days later. Police found the bodies after Mark Orrin Barton went to his workplace and shot twenty-one coworkers, killing nine of them. Barton was on the run for six hours before he killed himself. A software tester in Wakefield, Massachusetts, shot and killed seven coworkers at the internet consulting firm where he worked in 2000.

Such instances continued in the first decades of the twenty-first century. In 2018, investigators looking for a motive after a woman walked onto the campus of the San Bruno, California, headquarters of the video streaming company YouTube and shot and wounded three employees before taking her own life discovered that the woman, who had posted several videos on the site, had allegedly harbored grievances about company policies. According to reports, in February 2019, a man who had been informed that he was terminated from his job at a manufacturing business in Aurora, Illinois, almost immediately opened fire on employees, killing five. In 2022, a woman in Cincinnati, Ohio, shot her former manager after her request to be rehired was denied.

Overview

Many workers are exposed to violence not from coworkers, but from the public or clients. Postal carriers making deliveries, food delivery drivers, and taxi cab drivers are sometimes attacked while on the job. Such attacks often occur at night and in high-crime areas. Robbery is often the motive for violence. Social service workers are often injured on the job. Visiting nurses, psychiatric evaluators, probation officers, social workers, and others may be attacked by clients or neighbors.

Experts believe a number of issues contribute to workplace violence. Stress is often a contributing factor. Especially in the years following the 2008 recession, many companies have reduced the number of staff. Employees have been given greater workloads. Stress at work, as well as any difficulties in one's personal life, can cause a worker to lash out at fellow workers. In many cases, a heavy workload can cause employees to blame management.

Many employees commit violent acts because they believe nobody is listening. Companies in many cases overlook or ignore potential problems. Experts say that having an employee assistance program (EAP) in place can defuse tensions. An EAP involves an impartial party who can work with an upset employee and try to find solutions for problems, including treatment if necessary.

Not all acts of workplace violence are committed by employees or former workers, however. Sometimes angry customers feel they have been wronged by a company. In many cases, nonemployees have attacked domestic partners at the partner's workplace.

Author Mark Ames wrote about the violent postal service incidents. He concluded that a number of government policy changes had contributed to stress among US Postal Service workers. The postal service is supposed to be self-sufficient, paying for operations through the services provided—primarily mail and package delivery—rather than with taxpayer funds. President Richard Nixon signed a law that banned postal workers from striking and required the organization to become profitable by 1983—the year of the first shooting by an employee. Ames also cited deregulation of businesses and changes that undercut the power of unions during the administration of President Ronald Reagan. Under Reagan's economic policies, many workers lost some health and pension benefits.

Some methods of protecting employees from workplace violence include education and safety training. Workers should know what behavior is unacceptable and how to respond to violence directed at themselves or acts they witness. Management can institute processes for recognizing and addressing threatening behavior, including mandating medical or psychological treatment and contacting law enforcement.

Some companies place emphasis on background screenings during the hiring process. Such scrutiny is meant to discover any acts of violence a job candidate may have committed. Many employers use psychological tests to look for hints of potential violence. Many experts believe companies should require both background checks and psychological tests before hiring workers.

Surveillance systems including alarms and electronic keys, increased outdoor lighting, and identification badges can make workplaces more secure. Limiting the amount of cash workers handle, in registers or during deliveries, makes them less likely to be targeted for robberies. Buddy systems can make working in desolate or high-crime areas safer for workers.

Bibliography

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Billiter, Bill. "U.S. Investigation Found Postal Service Beset with Problems in Workplace." Los Angeles Times, 7 May 1993, articles.latimes.com/1993-05-07/news/mn-32415‗1‗u-s-postal-service. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

"Deadliest U.S. Mass Shootings, 1984–2017." Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2017, timelines.latimes.com/deadliest-shooting-rampages/. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

"A Former Postal Worker Commits Mass Murder." History, 9 Oct. 2024, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-former-postal-worker-commits-mass-murder. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

Francis, K. A. "What Are the Causes of Workplace Violence?" Houston Chronicle, smallbusiness.chron.com/causes-workplace-violence-1237.html. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

"OSHA Fact Sheet: Workplace Violence." US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Oct. 2024, www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/factsheet-workplace-violence.pdf. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

"Protect Workers from Violence." AFL-CIO, 8 Apr. 2019, aflcio.org/workplace-violence. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

"Workplace Violence." American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, www.aaets.org/article179.htm. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

Yan, Holly, and Faith Karimi. "YouTube Shooter Visited Gun Range Before Attacking Strangers, Police Say." CNN, 5 Apr. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/04/04/us/youtube-hq-shooting/index.html. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.