Background information
Workplace violence in nursing refers to violent acts towards persons who are on duty. The violence occurs when the practitioners face threatening situations from patients, colleagues and relations of the sick through verbal abuse, threats and physical assault that occur in a setting inside or outside a work setup (Chappell, 2009). Workplace violence affects many professions and it occurs in areas that occurs were the employees deal with the public directly and includes exchanging money, transportation of passengers, service and goods delivery. The groups that are prone to this kind of violence are social workers, health care professionals, community employees in gas and water utility, technicians of cable TV and phone, retailers and cab drivers.
A work setting is a location where the employee performs work related duties. It includes buildings and its perimeters. It also involves the client’s homes, parking lots and travelling outside for work assignments. Medical professionals face many challenges including violence while they discharge their duties. Workplace violence ranges from threatening language to offensive homicides. Disorderly conduct of patients like shouting and punching walls amounts to violence. The Violence occurs especially in mental institutions and occurs from the encounters that the medical staff has with patients (Privitera, 2011)
General literature
Workplace violence affects both the workers, clients and the organization. It results to mental and physical effects to the workers and clients. The workplace setting losses its productivity because when workers suffer physical and emotional effects, they are not in a position to deliver quality service to the clients of the organization (Workplaceviolence911.com, 2014). Absenteeism from the workplace because of injuries arising from workplace violence leads to loss in production of the organization. It leads to distrust in management and it makes the organization face criticism. It influences the relationships of workers at the workplace and leads to labor turnover. This creates recruitment and retention challenges. The workplace violence is a global and requires changes in health care (O’Donnell, 2013).
Specific Literature
Workplace violence is a serious hazard in health care industry. It affects workers, visitors and clients. Research indicates that several assaults occur in residential and nursing facilities. Workplace violence requires identification of risk factors and steps taken to mitigate the factors that might cause workplace violence. Employees require having proper administrative departments (Johnson, 2013). The employers need to ensure that all workers are aware of policies in place concerning workplace violence and understand the steps to take in case one encounters any type of violence. Workplaces can have surveillance videos, alarm systems and extra lighting to ensure that employees feel safe. Employers should assess their workplaces periodically and find ways of reducing the probability of workplace violence. OSHA recommends that the workplace policy should be in writing and combined with administrative controls to reduce workplace violence (OSHA, 2009).
The human resources management of the workplace setting should assist managers to enforce prevention of workplace violence (Keith, 2010). The employers need to protect their employees by enforcing policies that are zero tolerant to violence. This can be enforced by creating a prevention program in the workplace, incorporating into an accident prevention program, handbook for the employees or in a manual of standard procedures. Employees in a medical setting should work in harmony but if employees make unfounded and malicious statements against their supervisors, coworkers and subordinates, it results to workplace violence. Strangers have no legit relationship to the hospital setting or the employees. Workplace violence affects women and causes them to resign and fear training in areas where it’s prevalent (Paludi, 2009). Employees are at a risk of this type of workplace violence. Violence from clients is also common in workplace settings. Health care providers face this challenge especially from patients who have mental problems. The violence arises in situations that have no security (McPhaul, 2011). A situation may induce the clients to resort to violence. This may include denial of a service or a delay in receiving the service.
ReferencesTop of Form
Chappell, D., & DiMartino, V. (2009). Violence at work. Geneva: International. Labor Office.
Johnson, J. A. & Musch, S. D. (2013). Multisector casebook in health administration, leadership, and management. Clifton Park, N.Y.: Delmar, Cengage Learning.
Keith, N. & Bassi, G. (2010). Human resources guide to preventing workplace violence. Aurora, Ont.: Canada Law Book. Bottom of Form
McDowell, L. (2009). Working bodies. Chichester, UK: Wiley- Blackwell
Nursingworld.org. (2014). Workplace Violence. [Online] Retrieved from: http://nursingworld.org/workplaceviolence [Accessed: 27 Mar 2014].
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2009). Guidelines for preventing workplace violence for health care social service workers. In Guidelines for preventing workplace violence for health care social service workers. OSHA.
O’Donnell, K. S. & O’Donnell, M. L. (2013). Global member care. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.
Paludi, M. A. (2009). The psychology of women at work. Westport, Conn.: Praeger
Privitera, M. R. (2011). Workplace violence in mental and general healthcare settings. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Saunders, D. (2011). Workplace violence in healthcare.
Workplaceviolence911.com. (2014). National Institute for the Prevention of Workplace Violence | WorkplaceViolence911. [Online] Retrieved from: http://www.workplaceviolence911.com/ [Accessed: 27 Mar 2014].
