Workplace violence expands beyond traditional work environments

In the past, organizations only had to worry about workplace violence within the office. While this is still prevalent, the dramatic shift toward mobile, remote and traveling workers has created a new arena for workplace violence. These types of workers are at risk for all the same types of workplace violence as their peers working in traditional office buildings. Unfortunately, many do not have the same resources available to detect, deter and respond to hostility, aggression and/or violence, according to Steven M. Crimando, Principal, Behavioral Science Applications, wrote in a recent white paper, “A Guide for Employee Safety in Today’s Mobile World.” For this reason, Crimando believes employers must take a second look at their workplace violence policies and make sure remote, lone and traveling workers are included. It is critical that managers and employees are educated on the various types of workplace violence and how they could impact workers who aren’t stationed in a traditional office building. Those types of workplace violence include:

• Type I – Criminal Intent: Occurs during the commission of a property crime when the perpetrator targets the individual or organization, its properties and/or personnel because they believe there is something of value that can be stolen and has street value.
• Type II – Customer, Client or Patient Violence: Occurs in conjunction with the worker’s normal duties and the perpetrator is a customer, client or patient of the worker or their employer.
• Type III – Worker-to-Worker Violence: The perpetrator is either a current or former employee and the motivating factor is generally one or a series of interpersonal or work-related conflicts; losses or traumas and may involve a sense of injustice or unfairness.
• Type IV – Intimate Partner Violence: Occurs when domestic violence and abuse follows an employee from home to work. Generally, the perpetrators are not employees or former employees, and women are most often targets.
• Type V – Ideological Violence: Occurs when violence is perpetrated by a violent extremist or extremist group who believes that in their radical views violence is necessary, justified or deserved.

To learn more about workplace violence and employee safety in the increasingly mobile world, download Crimando’s white paper, “A Guide for Employee Safety in Today’s Mobile World.” If you’d like to hear how Everbridge helps keep employees safe and businesses running, please contact us and someone will be in touch ASAP.