Violence in the Workplace: The Role of Human Resource Management

There is no doubt that violence is all around us. People see it portrayed in one form or another every day.  It has become a common place to see it on television and in our own environment; especially, at huge corporations, organizations, companies, and small business firms. This leads to violence in the workplace. This is a serious safety and health issue that is going on today all over the world on all kinds of jobs. Murder and violence in the workplace are becoming common occurrences in our society.

There has been a huge increase of murder occurring in the workplace perpetrated by employees, both former and present, against other workers, particularly those in management positions. As a result of this there are immediate costs of human pain, suffering, and possible loss of life. There is the cost of traumatized employees, families of employees, and co-workers that can never be properly put into financial terms.

There is little precedent to guide the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) in dealing with violence and tragedy in the workplace. Few of our standard operating procedures or planning mechanisms are set up to take into account irrational acts of violence committed by employees or visitors to the organization. The unpredictability of such random incidents means that most of our procedures, which are designed for business-as-usual, will not be relevant during times of crisis. Yet, we can learn from the past, and are not doomed to repeat previous tragedies. Those who have experienced such events have gained valuable knowledge from which we can all benefit. Certainly many of these spontaneous acts cannot be prevented; yet, perhaps it is wise for us to consider some courses of action that might minimize the likelihood that such events will take place within our organization. Perhaps some examination of our HRM systems will result in the discovery of procedures relevant to this...