Written by Robert D. Sollars
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A question that every managerial person needs to know the answer to. You ask why, it’s a personal matter, isn’t it? Yes, it is a personal matter between the two people or a group against one, However, if it comes into the business, then it becomes THE organization’s business!
Keep this statistic in mind, when thinking “It’s NOT OUR PROBLEM”, 48% of all workplace violence (WPV)incidents start as domestic violence (DV). Therefore, it can intrude upon the organization in a number of ways;
Discussing personal issues & problems.
Intrusive personal visits, including during the working shift or waiting for them to come out.
Intrusive phone calls – at all times during the shift, even during times they’re working.
Lost productivity from the person who is forced to be away from work.
Lost time, from innumerable reasons, including injuries, court appearances, & etc.
Lastly, the possibility of violence within the facility or just outside.
DV can be any event that is abusive or inflicts physical, mental, or emotional harm to someone. Consistently yelling and berating the individual, child or adult, is DV, whether it’s believed or not. This is the one area that isn’t often considered when talking about it. Verbal abuse is harmful if it goes on long enough to an individual who is susceptible to second-guessing themselves or has low self-esteem.
One fact that must be kept uppermost when defining DV is that anyone can be verbally assaulted, most usually in retail or service-oriented locations, Verbal abuse can be as destructive in marriage as physical abuse. Many incidents of WPV involve verbal abuse and assaults.
Healthcare workers incur the verbal wrath of patients innumerable times in their careers, depending on the location and the kind of patients being cared for…numerous times in a single shift. Sometimes this translates to the physical. And in many cases, DV translates into the workplace, just as easily as a patient with mental issues.
This is why it’s vital to think about it, in your organization. If an incident of DV enters your workplace, it rarely remains confined to the individuals involved. Friends or relatives will join the fray or be caught in the cross-fire, figuratively or real. And in either event, the company could be liable for injuries because of it. That cost could eventually be the organization itself through bankruptcy or loss of credibility.
So, it’s vital that the organization have plans for such incidents. This is obviously a time for companies to begin to think about this stuff, and then never, absolutely never, forget about it or ignore it until next year. DV can literally cost much more than financial resources with your credibility, bankruptcy, and the trust of individuals & the community.
Contact: Sollars Violence Prevention Training & Consulting
It happens to Anyone…Any Time…Anywhere… For any Reason
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Copyright 2021 Robert D. Sollars
