Chapter 8 Workplace Violence, Aggression, and Harassment PDF

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Chapter 8: Workplace Violence, Aggression, and Harassment ●

Workplace violence are actually quite rare: apprx. 14 workplace homicides each year in Canada, other acts of physical violence and workplace aggression are considerably more prevalent

Defining Workplace Aggression and Violence ●

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Legislative (diff provinces) approaches differ in how broadly they define workplace violence and aggression ○ Ex. Nova Scotia has a narrow definition that focuses on acts/threats of physical assault > focuses only on workplace violence ○ Ex. Quebec & Ont focus more broadly on acts of workplace aggression > Workplace Aggression = behaviour by an individual or individuals within or outside an organization that is intended to physically or psychologically harm a worker or workers and occurs in a work- related context All violent behaviour is considered aggressive but NOT all aggressive behaviours are violent Violence = an actual physical assault or threat of an assault Aggression = behaviour by an individual or individuals within or outside an organization that is intended to physically or psychologically harm a worker or workers and that occurs in a work-related context Harassment = engaging in annoying or embarrassing conduct against a worker in a workplace - conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome ○ Quebec & Ont, harassment = aggression ○ Emotional Abuse = another term for bullying ○ Mobbing = a term used mainly in europe to refer to bullying Bullying = aggressive, non-physical behaviours perpetrated by organizational members over a prolonged period of time (i.e. 6 months+) Incivility = rude or discourteous behaviour Sexual Harassment = intentional, persistent, and unwelcome sexual conduct or remarks that occur despite resistance from the victim ○ Gender Harassment = comments or actions seen as creating a hostile environment based on gender ○ Unwanted Sexual Attention = persistent and unwelcome sexual comments or attention ○ Sexual Coercion = the attempt to extort sexual cooperation; can take the form of subtle or explicit job related threats

The Prevalence of Workplace Aggression ● Estimates of prevalence of workplace aggression varied widely and were dubious credibility

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Most accurate estimates of the prevalence of workplace violence will be derived from large samples constructed so as to represent a known population: US and Canada

US Prevalence Data ● Asked a series of questions about the exp of workplace violence and workplace aggression ● Operational def. Of w  orkplace violence focused on physical assaults (i.e. excluding threats) ○ Respondents were asked to indicate the frequency of: ■ Pushed you, grabbed you, or slapped you in anger >  3.9% ■ Kicked you, bit you, or hit you with a fist > 3% ■ Hit you with an object, tried to hit you with an object or threw an object at you in anger >  4.2% (most common) ■ Attacked you with a knife, gun or another weapon >  0.7% ○ 6% of the sample experience the above violence (7 million American workers) ● Workplace aggression, which they term psychological abuse ○ Measures include: ■ Shouted obscenities at you/ screamed at you in anger >  35% ■ Insulted you or called you names in front of other ppl > 24.4% ■ Made an indirect or hidden threat (i.e. something bad would happen to you) >  12.2% ■ Threatened to hit you or throw something at you > 7.6% ■ Threatened you w/ a knife, gun, or another weapon > 1.9% ○ 41% of the sample exp workplace aggression (47 million workers) Canadian Data ● No comparable national studies of workplace violence in Canada ● Large study of 1400 Nova Scotian workers ● Defined violence in accordance to NS legislation = both physical assaults & threat of physical assault ● 21% of respondents reported exp physical violence: ○ 9% reported being hit, kicked, punched or shoved ○ 12% had objects thrown at them ○ 12.6% has been threatened w/ physical assault ○ 2.7% had been threatened w/ a weapon ● Examined a variety of aggressive BUT nonviolent behaviour ● Results were diff from those for violence ● 79.2% exp some form of aggressive behaviour in the workplace: ○ 60.7% reported being glared at ○ 43.5% reported being given the silent treatment ○ 36.4% reported being target of false accusations ○ 27.1% reported being the target of obscene gestures ○ 26.8% reported being refused needed resources

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○ 27.6% reported being made fun of ○ 56.3% reported having their sense of judgment questioned ○ 25.2% reported being assigned meaningless tasks ○ 51.6% reported having their opinions dismissed ○ 37.5% reported having bad things said about them ○ 15% reported being told they were incompetent ○ 36.7% reported being teased ○ 44.9% reported being treated with disrespect ○ 30.9% reported someone taking credit for their ideas Appears to be more violence and aggression in canadian workplaces than in the US Although NS results can’t be generalized for all of Canada Statistics Canada > 17% of all violent victimizations happened in the workplace > 71% were physical Another study in Canadian public sector employees > 69% exp verbal workplace aggression

Sources of Workplace Violence ● Common approach of categorizing workplace violence focuses on the relationship of the assailant and the victim ● Type I Violence = violence committed by someone with no legitimate relationship to the organization, often while committing another criminal act ○ Ex. assault/homicide during a robbery ● Type II Violence = violence committed by clients or customers of the organization ○ Ex. patient attacks a health care worker ● Type III Violence = violence committed by coworkers (e.g., other employees of the organization) ● Type IV Violence = violence committed by the spouse or partner of the victim ○ Ex. ex spouse showing up at their workplace and assaulting/stalking them ● CAL/OSHA framework excludes violence that occurs during a labour dispute = unique form of workplace violence ○ Picket line violence > = non-privileged physical interference w/ the person/property of another or the threat, express or implied of such interference ○ Labour disputes include 2 categories of violent acts: ■ Confrontational ■ Purposeful = planned and deliberate Prevalence By Source ● Most common distinction is b/w violence perpetrated by co-workers (Type III) and violence perpetrated by members of the public (Type I and II) ● Violence is most likely from clients, residents, or other member of the public (71% reporting workplace violence) rather than co-workers (34%)

Risk Factors for Workplace Aggression ● Sectors that are at high risk of homicides are retail (i.e. convenience stores), service (i.e. restaurant), security, and transportation (i.e. taxi) ● Robbery is the primary risk factor for occupational homicide ● Industries exp high rates of nonfatal assaults: healthcare, education, social services, and law enforcement SAV-T(1) and SAV-T(2): The Risk of Violence ● Violence and aggression tend to be perpetrated by members of the public ● SAV-T = increased risk of workplace violence associated with Scheduling, Authority, Valuables, and Taking Care of Others ○ understanding specific risks associated w/ situations or occupations Scheduling ● Ind. who work alone or at night and on weekends ● Ex. taxi workers > identified as those at the greatest risk of workplace violence Authority ● Ind. who have authority over others, who are in a position to deny services/ requests, who supervise/discipline others, or who make decisions that influence others’ lives ● Ex. waitress cutting off a patron who had too much; social worker deciding on what benefits the client is eligible for Valuables ● Ind. who work around valuable products/objects Taking Care of Others ● Providing physical or emotional care for others, especially if such care is outside a traditional workplace (i.e. home based healthcare) Imminent Risk ● Must understand tasks increase the risk of workplace aggression there are limits to this analytical approach ○ Ex. nurse provides care for patients is at increased risk BUT 1. Most of the time these risks do not translate into workplace violence 2. Nurse cannot stop providing care in order to manage the risk ● Assessment of imminent risk  is grounded in the assault cycle  which identifies the escalation of violence from aggression to physical attack ○ Imminent Risk = the short term risk of violence occurring in the current situation ○ Assault Cycle = a model suggesting that violence occurs only after a period of escalation ■ Assault Cycle graph, page 196 ○ The assault cycle tells us: 1. Aggression can escalate into violence

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2. Violence does not come out of nowhere - rather, there are clear signs that individuals are increasingly likely to become violent ○ SAV-T can be used to identify the imminent risk of workplace violence (Swearing, Agitation, Volume,Threat) Managing Imminent Risk, Page 197

Prevention Type I Violence ● b/c most w/p violences occur during a robbery, actions to prevent them will reduce w/p homicides ● Robbery reduction strategies focus on increasing the risks, reducing rewards, & increase effort associated w/ robberies ● No single strategy is appropriate for all orgs. & prevention strategies must be customized to worksites ● 3 Principles underlie more Robbery Reduction Strategies: 1. Increasing Visibility 2. Reducing Rewards 3. Hardening Targets Increasing Visibility ● Increase perceived risk for potential criminals & deter crime ● Ex. stores: having more CCTV cameras installed, ensure the public can see into the store, having 2 clerks during evening shifts ○ Store owners resist the 2 clerks suggestions: 1. Limited evidence this works 2. Hiring 2 clerks is expensive 3. More than 1 clerk is increased to exposure of robbery related violence ○ Instead they can have the employees separated from the public w/ a locked barrier Targeting Hardening ● Target hardening strategies focus on physical designs that make it difficult to assault employees ● Ex. protective screens for taxi drivers; revolving doors to prevent easy exit Type II Violence ● Service providers (i.e. healthcare workers, teachers, social service workers, prison guards, and police officers) > most common victims of nonfatal w/p violence ● 3 General Approaches to Preventing/Dealing w/ Type II Violence: 1. Environmental 2. Organizational and Administrative 3. Behavioural

Environmental Strategies ● Security devices that can reduce employee risk: metal detectors, surveillance cameras, bullet resistant glass, effective lightning (both inside and outside of hospitals), curved mirrors in hallway intersections, card controlled entrances ● Comfortable waiting rooms to minimize stress in waiting rooms Organizational/Administrative Strategies ● Org. should est. policies and practices to prevent aggression: outline unacceptable behaviour in the w/p and clients, visitors, and employees should be aware of the doc ● Policies that encourage reporting of violence ● Mgmt should take reports of aggression seriously ● Best Practices in Managing W/P Violence, Page 201 Behavioural/Interpersonal Strategies ● Training may give employees the confidence to deal w/ potentially dangerous situations ● Staff should be taught customer service skills: how to resolve conflicts, how to recognize escalating agitation, and how to manage and respond to aggressive behaviours Type III Violence ● Comprehensive w/p violence program needs to address the potential for coworker aggression and violence ● Generally co-workers do not act aggressively, rather they react to certain situations in an aggressive way ● Triggers for w/p aggression: unfair treatment, abusive supervision, role stress, and job insecurity ● By eliminating triggering events, by creating a transparent and nonthreatening environment and by preventing aggressive acts ● Focus on improving interpersonal relationships eliminate w/p violence & aggression ● Leadership training can decrease abusive supervision ● Creating an open & transparent environment incl. Developing specific procedures for employees to resolve conflicts and discuss grievances ● Training in conflict resolution & creation of confidential complaint procedures ensure appropriate behaviour ● Org. policy clearly label violent and aggressive acts as inappropriate to implement respectful workplace policies Type IV Violence ● Intimate partner violence is almost always caused by someone who is not a member of the org (i.e. spouse)

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Managers & org decision makers need to be educated about the forms that intimate partner violence can take Org should be aware of the resources that are available (i.e. Employee Assistance Program) Org policies should allow for temp accommodations during times of crisis (i.e. provide additional security/escorts to the parking lot)

Organizational Policies and Programs ● Developing Workplace Violence and Harassment Policies and Programs manual is a guideline that helps org manage the risks of w/p violence ● The mgmt of w/p violence follows the sequence of recognition, assessment and control of hazards: Recognition ● In OHSCO (Occupational Health and Safety Council of Ontario) framework, org should conduct regular assessments of the risks for w/p violence ● These assessments occur at 3 levels: ● 1. Assessment of the general physical environment ○ Reviewing the outside and parking lots, entry systems, reception, waiting areas, public counters, elevators, washrooms, and location of cash/other valuables ● 2. Identification of risk factors ○ Specific assessments are assessed for: ○ A. direct contact with clients ○ B. handling cahs ○ C. working w/ unstable or volatile clients ○ D. working alone ○ E. working in a community based setting ○ F. mobile workforce ○ G. working in high crime areas ○ H. securing or protecting valuable goods ○ I. transporting ppl or goods ● 3. Assessment for specific risks ○ Not all the above assessments are required for every org, you must identify which ones are applicable Assessment ● One can risk the level of risk applicable to specific jobs ● Subjective process, OHSCO suggests that high risk would be when one / more risk factors regularly place an employee at severe risk ● Severe =  there is potential for fatal/critical injury ● Moderate risk = risk occasionally places employees at moderate severe ● Low risk = occurs when risk factors occur rarely and the risk is minimal

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Organizations can choose to prioritize the most severe risk factors to develop solutions ● Comprehensive approach to dealing w/ w/p violence would deal w/ all of the risk factors not just the high priority ones Control ● OHSCO provide guidelines and audit tools for the creation and monitoring of w/p violence programs and policies ● Formulation of a comprehensive w/p violence program would incl. the following: 1. Creation of a w/p violence policy that conforms to the relevant legislation (vary by jurisdiction) 2. Creation of a violence prevention program includes: a. Mechanisms for assessment b. Procedures for obtaining immediate assistance for victims c. Procedures for reporting actual and potential violence d. Procedures for investigating such reports e. Procedures for dealing w/ incidents, complaints, and threats 3. Creation of an emergency response plan 4. Inclusion of w/p violence in work refusal policies 5. Procedures for recognizing and dealing w/ incidents of domestic violence that may occur in the w/p 6. Training procedures to ensure that all employees are aware of the policies, procedures, and risks related to w/p violence ● After est. program, employers must have ongoing monitoring and compliance to ensure the program is operating properly

Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace ● Bullying is included as a form of harassment but the 2 can be diff ● Harassment can be a single act whereas bullying is typically sustained pattern of harassing behaviours over time ● Bullying can be subtle very difficult to deal w/ in an org ● Complaints of harassment are hard to deal w/ bc it is hard to distinguish b/w harassing or is simply rude/unattentive ● Bill 168: employers must have a policy for harassment but it doesn’t have to be assessed and it does not constitute grounds for work refusal ● Cyber-aggression and cyber-bullying are new forms of aggressive behaviour ○ Emails that don’t use a subject line, include a greeting or is written in all caps can be seen as uncivil or harassing ● Social media may be used to harass or bully others outside of the w/p ● Organizational efforts to deal w/ harassment and bullying typically take 1 of 2 forms: ○ 1. Org have an obligation to investigate and respond to specific complaints about harassment and bullying

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2. Org have attempted to promote a more respectful w/p in an attempt to reduce the amount of harassment and bullying in the w/p

Investigation of Specific Incidents ● w/p harassment policy should incl. Provision for the investigation and resolution of specific incidents: ○ Provision to ind. To file a complaint ○ Conduct of an investigation by a neutral 3rd part asap after the complaint has been filed ○ Consultation w/ each of the parties involved (i.e. victim & alleged perp) ○ Evidence gathering (incl. Interviewing witnesses, etc.) & decision making ○ Communicating the decision to the parties w/ a proposed resolution ○ Documenting the process and maintaining records ● After the investigation, appeals should be allowed Respectful Workplace ● Respectful w/p and anti-bullying programs > although they are well intended there is limited research examining whether they actually work ● (CREW) civility, respect, and engagement process > intervention program for w/p abuse ○ Objective > participants become more sensitive to the impact of their social behaviours on others, participants develop effective strategies for responding to incivility and disrespect at work and participants develop a deeper repertoire of supportive interactions w/ colleagues ○ Involves employees in creating the definitions of respectful and disrespectful behaviour est. norms for how to treat each other ○ 6 month civility intervention did help reduce incivility in the w/p ○ CREW intervention is both time and resource intensive ● Respect in the Workplace program developed by Red Cross and RespectED Org ○ 90 min interactive program ○ Both inexpensive and don’t require a lot of resources Sexual Harassment ● Most forms of sexual harassment involve unwelcome, intrusive sexual attention and verbal comments ● Most commonly reported behaviours in the Canadian survey were insulting jokes and staring ● Physically violent actions let rape rarely occur in the w/p ● Canada Labour Code prohibits sexual harassment and defines sexual harassment as any conduct, comment, gesture, or contact of a sexual nature: ○ That is likely to cause offence or humiliation to any employee ○ That might, on reasonable grounds, be perceived by the employee as placing a condition of a secual nature on employment or on any opp. For training or promotion

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Sexual harassment is any intentional, persistent (i.e. repeated) and unwelcome sexual conduct or remark that occurs despite resistance from the victim “Reasonable Person” test is used to determine whether a reasonable person would be aware that the behaviour is offensive so that defendants can’t deny they didn’t know Labour Code: 2 Diff Types of Sexual Harassment: 1. Sexual Coercion (or quid pro quo harassment) = an attempt to extort sexual cooperation. This extortion can take the form of subtle or explicit job related threats (i.e. job loss, loss of promotion) or the promise of job related rewards 2. Hostile Environment = sexual harassment that occurs w/o any coercion or extortion; it does however create a hostile, intimidating, and discriminating environment. Sexually harassing behaviours of this nature can range from insulting, misplaced comments, through pervasive sex related verbal or physical conduct, to life threats or physical attacks - Most prevalent type

Sexual Harassment as a Health and Safety Issue ● It is a health and safety c...