Workplace violence can take several forms, and organizations should prepare for each type as part of a proactive prevention plan. The five types of workplace violence incidents are:
- Criminal intent
- Customer/client
- Worker-to-worker
- Domestic violence
- Ideological violence
Understanding these categories helps organizations identify risk factors, train employees, improve reporting, and activate coordinated communications during critical events.
Context and problem framing
Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. Incidents can range from robbery and trespassing to an active assailant situation or terrorist attack that impacts an organization.
When developing a workplace violence prevention plan, organizations need a clear framework for recognizing threats. Steven M. Crimando, Principal, Behavioral Science Applications, outlined five types of workplace violence incidents that employers should be ready to address.
Common challenges
Workplace violence risks vary by work environment, employee role, customer interaction, and external threat exposure. The five categories below help organizations assess where prevention, training, and response planning should be focused.
Type 1: Criminal intent
Criminal intent workplace violence occurs when the perpetrator has no relationship with the targeted establishment. The primary motive is often theft, and the incident may involve robbery, shoplifting, trespassing, or another crime that turns violent.
Workers with higher exposure include employees who exchange cash, work late hours, or work alone. Organizations should consider how access control, visibility, staffing practices, and emergency communications can reduce risk.
Key preparedness actions include:
- Training employees to recognize escalating criminal behavior
- Limiting isolated work where practical
- Strengthening security procedures for cash handling
- Establishing clear reporting and emergency notification processes
Type 2: Customer/client
Customer/client workplace violence occurs when the perpetrator is a customer, client, patient, student, passenger, or other service recipient. The violence often occurs while an employee is performing normal job duties.
Healthcare and social service workers face some of the highest risks in this category. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics workplace violence fact sheet, these workers are five times more likely to be victims than the average private sector employee.
Organizations can reduce exposure by preparing employees for difficult interactions. De-escalation training, clear reporting channels, and rapid assistance procedures help teams respond before a situation worsens.
Key preparedness actions include:
- Training frontline employees in de-escalation practices
- Creating consistent incident reporting processes
- Providing rapid support for employees in public-facing roles
- Reviewing high-risk locations, shifts, and service scenarios
Type 3: Worker-to-worker
Worker-to-worker violence is generally perpetrated by a current or former employee. The motivating factor is often interpersonal conflict, work-related conflict, loss, trauma, or perceived grievance.
Managers and supervisors are often at higher risk in this category. This type of workplace violence can include bullying, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, threats, and physical abuse.
Organizations should take early warning signs seriously and create safe ways for employees to report concerns. Human resources, security, legal, and leadership teams should coordinate response processes before an incident escalates.
Key preparedness actions include:
- Encouraging early reporting of threats, harassment, and intimidation
- Training managers to recognize behavioral warning signs
- Coordinating response among human resources, security, and leadership
- Planning for risks involving former employees or workplace separations
Type 4: Domestic violence
Domestic violence in the workplace is often perpetrated by someone who is not an employee or former employee. The workplace becomes a target because the abuser knows where the individual is likely to be during work hours.
Women are targeted much more frequently than men, and the risk of violence increases when one party attempts to separate from the other. Employers should treat domestic violence as a workplace safety issue when it creates risk for employees, coworkers, visitors, or facilities.
Organizations can support affected employees through confidential reporting, safety planning, and coordinated response. Security teams should understand how to manage access risks and communicate quickly if a threat reaches the workplace.
Key preparedness actions include:
- Providing confidential reporting and employee support options
- Coordinating safety plans with the affected employee
- Alerting security and reception teams when appropriate
- Preparing communications for employees who may be exposed to risk
Type 5: Ideological violence
Ideological workplace violence is directed at an organization, its people, or its property for ideological, religious, or political reasons. It is perpetrated by extremists or value-driven groups who justify violence through their beliefs.
Some active shooter and terrorist incidents may fall into this category. One of the most impactful forms of workplace violence in recent years has been active shooter incidents in the workplace.
Organizations should monitor real-time threat intelligence and understand whether their people, executives, facilities, or events could become targets. Preparedness should include threat assessment, emergency notification, and active assailant response planning.
Key preparedness actions include:
- Monitoring threats that could affect facilities, events, or personnel
- Training employees on active assailant response procedures
- Coordinating with public safety and security partners
- Testing emergency communications before a critical event occurs
Everbridge solution overview
Explore workplace violence prevention solutions
Improving safety and preventing workplace violence should be a priority for every employer. Organizations can decrease the likelihood and impact of incidents by combining training, reporting, risk assessment, security protocols, and reliable emergency communications.
Everbridge helps organizations strengthen workplace violence preparedness through Everbridge 360 and the High Velocity Critical Event Management platform. These capabilities support proactive risk identification, coordinated response, and measurable organizational resilience.
Everbridge solutions are designed to help teams communicate quickly during critical events. Purpose-built AI, real-time threat intelligence, and automated workflows help organizations understand threats, notify impacted people, and coordinate action.
How it works
A workplace violence prevention program should prepare organizations before, during, and after an incident. A structured approach helps teams move from awareness to action.
- Identify workplace violence risks across locations, roles, and operating hours.
- Train employees and managers to recognize warning signs and report concerns.
- Establish clear escalation paths for human resources, security, legal, and leadership teams.
- Use real-time threat intelligence to monitor risks that may affect people or facilities.
- Send targeted emergency notifications when employees need instructions or support.
- Review incidents, update procedures, and strengthen the prevention plan over time.
This approach helps organizations reduce uncertainty during critical events. It also supports a more coordinated and scalable response across distributed teams and locations.
Benefits / Features
Workplace violence preparedness requires more than a written policy. Organizations need practical capabilities that help people recognize risk, report concerns, and receive timely instructions.
Key prevention and response capabilities include:
- Training programs to identify, reduce, or avoid violence
- Safety reporting systems that encourage early intervention
- Proactive security measures for higher-risk facilities and roles
- Routine risk assessments that reflect changing conditions
- Emergency notification channels that reach impacted people quickly
- Coordinated response workflows for security, operations, and leadership teams
These capabilities also support the Best in ResilienceTM journey. A measurable preparedness program helps organizations protect people, maintain operations, and improve response after each event.
Industry / use-case variants
Different industries face different workplace violence exposures. A strong prevention plan should reflect the people, environments, and interactions most relevant to each organization.
Common use cases include:
- Healthcare and social services: Customer/client violence involving patients, clients, family members, or visitors
- Retail and hospitality: Criminal intent violence involving robbery, shoplifting, trespassing, or late-hour operations
- Corporate offices: Worker-to-worker threats, domestic violence spillover, or risks involving former employees
- Education and public sector: Customer/client, ideological, or targeted violence involving public-facing environments
- Field service and lone workers: Criminal intent or customer/client threats when employees work alone or in remote locations
Organizations with multiple sites should adapt procedures to each location. Local risks, response partners, staffing models, and communication channels can vary significantly.
Proof and stories
The five-type framework helps organizations discuss workplace violence with more precision. It separates incidents by perpetrator relationship, motive, and typical risk conditions.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics data on healthcare and social service workers demonstrates why industry context matters. When certain roles face higher exposure, prevention programs should prioritize training, reporting, and rapid assistance for those employees.
Everbridge supports organizations in building resilience before disruption hits. A coordinated approach helps teams close preparedness gaps and respond with greater confidence when critical events occur.
Call to action
Workplace violence preparedness is an essential part of protecting people and strengthening operational resilience. Everbridge helps organizations identify threats, communicate quickly, and coordinate response during critical events.
Download the Active Assailant Preparedness Report to learn actionable recommendations for improving active assailant preparedness.
Frequently asked questions
The five types of workplace violence are criminal intent, customer/client, worker-to-worker, domestic violence, and ideological violence. Each type has different risk factors, warning signs, and prevention requirements.
Worker-to-worker violence generally involves a current or former employee. It may be driven by interpersonal conflict, work-related conflict, loss, trauma, or perceived grievance.
Workers who exchange cash, work late hours, or work alone are often more exposed to criminal intent workplace violence. This category includes incidents such as robbery, shoplifting, or trespassing that turn violent.
Organizations can help prevent workplace violence through employee training, safety reporting systems, proactive security measures, routine risk assessments, and emergency notification channels. A coordinated plan helps teams identify risk earlier and respond faster during critical events.
Domestic violence can become a workplace safety issue when an abuser knows where an employee will be during work hours. Employers should prepare confidential reporting, safety planning, access controls, and emergency communications for these situations.
