Violence in the office Essay Example for Free

Violence in the office Essay Review This assignment required me to find an article on violence in the office and write a brief overview of the article using the university library. I will discuss different types of violence that lead to office violence. I will then discuss ways in which a company can control the influences that incite office violence. After reviewing a few different articles I have decided on an article from the university library called† Out of the Shadows,† by Dori Meinert. This article talks about 2 different stories that both deal with physical and mental violence. The stories were not actually based in an office setting, but were based in a home setting (Meinert, 2011). Though once the violence in the home setting was bad enough it spilled into the work place and eventually put the other employees in danger. The article also discussed the role human resources played and discusses how important this department is in any company. It goes into how human resources resolve problems such as domestic violence, and how they can be a great resource in these kinds situation. Human resources have the training, skill set, and ability to keep issue private that helps in instances where there is violence in the work place (Meinert, 2011). With avoidance programs, employee training sessions, and employee assistance programs these will help train and coach employees through and also help them avoid issues such as office violence. Forms of Bullying in the Workplace When it comes to offices violence that could result in bullying there are many different types. In an office setting violence might include a group or person against a peer or someone who reports to another. The violence can be continuous or just conduct that is unreasonable. The majority of the documented instances were management or the administration who perpetrated a number of offenses. The major types of violence include: nonverbal, verbal, embarrassment, physical, and psychological abuse. Examples of verbal abuse  would be name-calling which happens more often than not. A simple phrase calling someone out of there name and cursing are the quickest way to verbally abuse someone and not realize it (Meinert, 2011). In the second story told in the article a women who is abused in her home life seeks refuge at work and tells her co-workers. She felt like she needed to tell someone to get assistance, which in some cases can help. It can actually backfire in some cases. Telling someone your personal business can lead to peers discussing your personal business behind your back spreading rumors, criticizing, or gossiping about your business. Ways to avoid violence in the work place Training employees on office like conduct, creating avoidance plan, and having a zero tolerance policy in place are the main methods to control, avoid, and protect employees against violence in the work place. Keeping the workers trained on up to date procedures and processes is very important. Also making sure managers and human resources are trained on effective communication is also very important. An employee has to trust their manager and if not their manager, than human resources to feel comfortable to talk about issues like violence. Making sure the employees understand that there is an open door policy and that any kind of violence in the work place in not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Most importantly there needs to be an immediate response and rapid results to create a secure environment for all employees.