Building a Workplace Violence Plan

by John Brenner and Betsy Summerfield

from VCCA Journal, Volume 10, Number 2, Summer 1996, 31-35

Violence, violence, violence, we hear about it every day and it seems like it is always in some distant place. However, consider some of these facts about the our society.

Between July 1992 and July 1993 for example, 2.2 million full time workers were attacked on the job, 6.3 million were threatened with violence and 16.1 million were harassed at work. (Anfuso, 1994)

Segar notes that in the United States high levels of workplace violence may be related to "individualism, mobility, and the separation of public and private roles."

According to an in-depth study conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health from 1980 to 1988, homicides at work accounted for about 12% of workplace deaths. (Mantel and Albrecht, 1994)

Approximately 1400 people are killed at work each year. (Mantel and Albrecht, 1994)

Studies on workplace violence provide impressive evidence of the numbers of employees murdered or physically attacked at work and underscore the fact that the issue of violence at work cannot be ignored. Those of us in education must take heed to these studies and plan for the worst possible scenario.

Several years ago, John Brenner taught at a community college in a neighboring state where one of his colleagues was shot to death by a student. The drafting student was upset with the instructor because the instructor had not responded to the student s question. The student became angry, left campus, drove home (10 miles), and returned to campus with his 357 Magnum. The student then went to the instructor s office and shot the instructor three times in the back of his head while the instructor was sitting at his computer.

John Brenner--who had worked at the school for over 15 years--was informed about the shooting about half an hour later when a relative approximately 50 miles away from the school heard a media report and called to see if John was okay.

The College was unprepared for such a tragic event. The school did not have a plan to inform institutional employees of violence, nor did it offer appropriate aftercare for the employees. The violence happened, and the institution went into a state of shock. Institutions, like people, do not work well when they are in a state of shock.

This college, like many organizations in the United States, failed to consider that such an event could occur at the institution. There are numerous reasons why organizations should prepare for conflict/violent events. Conflict occurs, in part, because of the complexity of the population; racial, ethnic and religious strife, as well as differing sexual orientations can be contributing factors. That American society is made up of heterogeneous groups with very different social systems and values often leads to "disharmony, conflict of interest, and even violence" (Eizen and Zinn, 1995).

It is important to note that conflict, especially conflict that leads to violence, has been erroneously associated with people who are classified as mentally deranged or in some form of mental dementia. Bartol (1995) notes "severely mentally disordered individuals are not more likely to commit serious crimes against others than the entire population." In other words, the people that are committing violent acts are generally classified as normal individuals.

It has often been cited that the modern, urban, industrial society increases frustration. Bartol notes that people who are "frustrated, thwarted, annoyed, or threatened will behave aggressively, since aggression is a natural, almost automatic response to frustrating circumstances." Many things can be frustrating to people such as waiting in line to pay tuition or being told that a class is full or has been canceled for the semester.

Schools have a difficult time insulating themselves against violent individuals because they must serve the public and allow everyone to enter. And community colleges--known for their "open door" policy--face a similar problem. They offer all citizens the opportunity to advance, to develop a life full of the richness of knowledge and the beauty of living. However, into every good garden a destroyer may walk. Violence is a destroyer of that beauty.

Although there is little data on violence towards community college instructors, Weiner, Zahn and Sagi (1990) report that most school violence involves two types of perpetuators, students and intruders. They report that the most common type of school problem is either robbery or larceny with contact and that nearly three-fourths of the offenses that students commit are against other students. Students tend to be victimized by students of the same age. Also male students tend to commit acts of violence on other male students.

But not only schools must plan for potential violent acts. As Mantel and Albrecht (1994) state, "We re here to say there is no workplace that is entirely safe in the United States." With workplace violence now recognized by the U.S. Government as a public health hazard, all organizations must develop conflict/violence plans--the dangers cannot be ignored.

Solomon (April, 1994) recommends conflict/violence training to companies as a means to avoid problems. "Senior management must be committed to contingency planning, and it must become part of the culture of the company." He notes that mistakes happen in organizations where the planning process has not been endorsed by all members and that communication is the backbone of any plan because it can help in an emergency situation and it can assist an organization in getting back to normalcy. Teamwork and communication are required of all members in the organization. Any comprehensive crisis management plan must also take into account liability issues and special interest group pressures.

Peggy Lawless, a research director for the National Life Insurance Co. (NWNL), suggests companies take the following steps to prevent workplace violence (p. 14).

Create a supportive work environment in which violence isn t tolerated.
Develop managers that respect workers.
Train supervisors to recognize signs of a troubled employee.
Provide personal counseling for workers.
Establish procedures for handling grievances.
Allow employees control to help reduce stress.
Train managers and employees to resolve conflict in a peaceful manner.
Implement security programs that protect employees from internal and external risk.
Provide counseling for laid-off employees.
Set up a crisis management plan.

No organization can adopt a plan that has been created by another organization. Each college has unique characteristics that should be addressed and included in a workplace conflict/violence plan. The authors recommend the following as general guidelines to be followed when making such a plan.

Review the literature on workplace violence. This includes OSHA data and information, campus security data, and other relevant information.
The reviewed literature and campus information can be used to create a survey of security, violence, conflict, and other areas of concern to the staff.
Identify the important stakeholders who should be involved in the creation of the college plan. These stakeholders should represent all areas of the college.
Create a team of the above stakeholders. This team should identify key problems that need to be addressed and methods of creating an effective plan.
The team should then decide if a more in-depth survey should be developed or if the team should proceed with the preliminary framework of the plan.
The plan that is created should have steps that would deal with potential violent acts by members within and outside of the organization.
The plan should include appropriate aftercare procedures that would enable the organization to effectively return to normalcy. These procedures should include access to appropriate employee assistance professionals, methods of dealing with the media, and designation of the person to inform all employees and/or family members of acts of violence.
Once the plan has been outlined, it should be presented to the entire campus community for criticism and changes. Their recommendations should be incorporated into the plan.
A method should be established to assure that all employees (stakeholders) are familiar with and understand the conflict/violence plan.
The plan should be reviewed yearly to incorporate community, environmental, or organizational changes.

Plans are useful for dealing with potential and actual situations that may occur in the work environment. It should also be emphasized that two additional considerations are necessary. First, the college s human resources professionals should utilize effective screening procedures for new employees. The human resources professionals should be trained to recognize behavioral and psychological patterns which indicate the need for follow-up. For example, time gaps on an application may indicate a problem area that needs to be investigated. An applicant screening process should discover how the person reacted in the past to determine how they will react in the future. The screening should attempt to eliminate temperamental people, like the ones who "badmouthed their last employer" (Anfuso). Degrees and dates of previous employment should be verified before offering the applicant a position. (Kraft foods has discovered an additional benefit of in-depth screening--a lower turnover rate.)

A final consideration is that appropriate training is needed. All members of the organization must understand the conflict/violence plan. There could also be training in human relations issues concentrating on communication style. Assertiveness training, conflict-resolution and reflective- listening techniques, and instruction in the causes of violence in small and large groups could become part of an institution s annual training activities.

No system is perfect. As our campuses continue to grow and the community makes greater use of the facilities, the need for a comprehensive plan is increases. When a college involves itself in creating a violence/conflict plan and supports the training of its employees, the potential for effectively responding to a crisis will be increased.

References

Anfuso, D. (1994, October). Deflecting workplace violence. Personnel Journal, 66-77.

Bartol, C. R. (1995). Criminal behavior: A psychosocial approach. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Eizen, D. S. & Zinn, M. B. (1995). In conflict and order: Understanding society. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Mantell, M. & Albrecht, S. (1994). Ticking Bombs: Diffusing violence in the workplace. Burridge, IL: Irwin Professional Publishing.

Segar, K. A. (1993, July). Violence in the workplace: An assessment of the problem based upon responses from thirty-two large corporations. Security Journal, 140-141.

Solomon, C. M. (1994, April). Bracing for emergencies. Personnel Journal, 74-83.

Weiner, N. A., Zahn, M. A., & Sagi, R. J. (1990). Violence: Patterns, causes, public policy. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

John Brenner is completing his third year as Assistant Professor of Sociology and Human Services at Southwest Virginia Community College. Prior to teaching at Southwest, he taught history and sociology for 17 years at Gaston College in Dallas, North Carolina. He has an MA in Chinese Sociology from the University of Illinois and is in the final stages of completing an Ed.D. at East Tennessee State University.

Betsy Summerfield is the Human Resources Officer at Southwest. She has 17 years of experience in the public and private sectors. She holds an MBA from Golden Gate University and is currently pursuing her doctorate at East Tennessee State University in educational leadership.