Sociology

Stress and pressure in the workplace are recognized and accepted as ordinary experiences in the workplace.  When an employee signs up for an employment he knows that he will experience a certain degree of stress and pressure on the job.  There are many reasons why stress and pressure have been part of the workplace environment.  Globalization is one of the most recognized reasons why there is a great deal of stress and pressure in the workplace.  Globalization intensifies competition among business organizations which directly affects the employees.  Globalization also contributes to the frequent restructuring and downsizing among companies as business organizations are constantly seeking for ways to make the organization more competitive in terms of size and cost.  As the battle for survival among business organizations intensifies, more employees are forced to compete with one another for decreasing employment opportunities which also add to their stress.

It is surprising however that only the emotional and psychological stress are being recognized as problems in the workplace.  Little attention is being given to the presence of physical violence that is also common in every workplace.

Workplace violence is defined as a crime of violence that occurs in the workplace or when the victim is at work or on duty.  It can be directed against the worker, supervisor, or manager. (Julie Indvik 1)  Jason Morris explains that there are many reasons why violence takes place in the workplace.  These are economic, societal, psychological and organizational.  The economic issues are an over-stressed population, downsizing or re-organizing departments, massive layoffs, growth technology, recession, massive mergers and unemployment.  The societal causes are the changing society, violence in television and in the movies, and the accessibility of weapons.  The psychological causes are the emotional, physical or sexual abuse the employee experienced from childhood.  The organizational issues that could be the cause of violence are organizational structure, management style, polarization between employees and managers, lack of forum to address grievances, threats of violence and the discouragement of new ideas.

According to a study conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 631 workplace homicides, an increase from 609 in 2002 and the leading cause of these deaths was violence associated with robbery. (Workplace Violence Training Young Workers in Preventive Strategies 1)  Paul Davis adds that according to OSHA there are more than two million American workers who are victimized by workplace violence each year. (2)

While there are no particular occupations that are being targeted as victims of workplace violence, there are certain jobs that are more exposed to the dangers of workplace violence.  Respass and Payne (2008) stated that there are certain risk factors that increase the likelihood that individuals will be victimized by violence at work.  These risk factors are working alone, communicating with the public, and traveling to dangerous areas.  The responsibilities of social workers require that they engage in these activities.  Consequently, social workers are considered to be more exposed to workplace violence than the other kinds of employees.  According to Respass and Payne (2008), the trends in workplace violence suggest that social services workers are six (6) times more likely than the other workers to experience workplace violence.

The problem of workplace violence involving social workers is not only prevalent in the United States but in other countries as well. (Charlotte Goddard 1) In United Kingdom, Unison, the local governments largest trade union has said that physical attacks on social workers have reached chronic levels making the jobs of social workers as high risk. (Jim Dunton 1) According to Prof. Eric Emerson and Dr. Chris Hatton of the Institute of Health Research at the Lancaster University (2003), 70 of social care workers in England who are supporting either people with learning difficulties or people with mental health problems have experienced violent incident within the past 12 months.  The most common form of violent incidents experienced by social workers are either being shouted at or insulted (64), being threatened with violence (40), and physical attack (38).  The same problem was experienced against social workers in Australia. (Stella Koritsas, Jan Coles and Malcolm Boyle 2)

The nature of the job of a social worker alone is already a risk factor as it is quite impossible not to antagonize other persons when a social worker is engaged in the performance of his job.  For instance, a social worker whose duty is to protect the child against his abusive parents is likely to face resistance and challenges against the parents who refuse to acknowledge that they are abusive and may refuse to turn over the custody of the child to the social worker. (Brian Littlechild 2)

The United States Department of Labor highlighted that the employees in health care and the social service industries are also affected by the risk of violence in the workplace.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there were 69 homicides in the health service from 1996 to 2000.  The study also shows that the in 2000 alone 48 of all non-fatal injuries from occupational assaults and violent acts occurred in health care and social services.  A number of these violent acts took place inside hospitals, nursing and personal care facilities, and residential care services.

Despite these studies confirming that social workers are more exposed to workplace violence, nothing is being done to address the problem of violence against social workers.  Kim Arnold (2007), citing the March 2006 study conducted by the National Association of Social Workers which states that 55 of the 5,000 licensed social workers surveyed have safety issues on the job, stressed the lack of response to address the problem of workplace violence.

Kim Arnold (2007) also states that despite the dangers they are exposed to, employers had not adequately addressed the concerns of the social workers. The situation among social workers on the job has caused many of them to leave their jobs.  Other effects of workplace violence include absenteeism, staff replacement costs, training costs, compensation payments, higher insurance contributions, and poor productivity. (Successfully Tackling Workplace Violence 2)  

This was the experience in United Kingdom when there was a shortage of social workers.  According to Rasa Zabarauskaite (2009) even the social workers in other countries such as Lithuania, for instance, have expressed dissatisfaction with their wages and the safety on the job.

While it is very difficult to deal with workplace violence since it happens at a time when it is least expected something needs to be done to prevent workplace violence or to prepare the employees for workplace violence.  The reality however is that nothing concrete is being done about it on a nationwide level.  Every employer has their own strategies on how to prevent workplace violence but these activities are being done on a per company level.  It bears stressing that the federal government needs to seriously look into the problem of workplace violence.  Legislators also have to play a role in preventing workplace violence. (Gregor V. Sarkisian  Sharon G. Portwood 43)

According to Theresa Brett (2006), the number one issue faced today by employers and employees is the problem of being uninformed and unprepared for what workplace violence looks like and how it can be prevented or controlled in case it escalates and evolves.  Despite the dangers social workers face on the job it is surprising that many of them are unprepared for possibility that they may experience violence at work.  Cristina Newhill (2003) suggests that it is always important for social worker to be able to prepare himself in these situations.

Education and awareness that there is a potential for violence in the workplace are the first step.  (A Workplace Violence Prevention Strategy for Nova Scotia 8)  For example, if a social worker is dealing with the parent of an abused child, he should know that there is a possibility that the situation may become violent as the parents may refuse to turn over the child to the social worker. In addition, it should also his responsibility to study the family background of the persons he is dealing with to better inform himself about the kind of people he is dealing with.

The National Association of Social Workers states that one of the strategies that must be undertaken in order to prevent workplace violence against social service worker is that the business organization must have a safety plan of action.  The safety plan should include the strategies in order to recognize the signs of agitation, use of code words as signal for help without increasing the clients agitation, strategies in calling security or police, plan to evacuate the building.

For instance a social worker who is assigned to conduct a home visit to a particular client should be informed of the risks associated with the visit. (Barbara T. Blank 2)  The social worker should conduct a safety assessment of the situation by getting the family history of the client.  He should find out if the family has a history of violence or a history of mental illness.  This information is available in the file of the client.  If not he should conduct due diligence by asking employees who have worked longer in the agency or colleagues from other agencies.  Moreover, the conduct of home visits should always be with the knowledge and approval of the supervisor. (Barbara T. Blank 2)  There should be a report indicating the home to be visited, its address, time of departure and expected time of return.  The social workers should also be familiar with the community or the neighborhood where he expects to conduct a home visit. (Barbara T. Blank 2) He should be aware whether it is a dangerous neighborhood or not.  If it is a dangerous street or neighborhood the social worker may want to bring along a fellow social worker who works in the same agency.  In addition, when the social worker has entered the home he should always remain on alert and take extra precaution if the people he is talking to appear intoxicated.

Others suggest that the office facilities should be maintained in such a way that the employees will be protected against violent clients. (Committee for the Study and Prevention of Violence against Social Workers 2)  For instance, the office facilities should be maintained in such a way that it presents an organized, calm and respectful appearance to the client.  There should also be adequate lighting within and outside the facilities especially at night. (Committee for the Study and Prevention of Violence against Social Workers 2) There should be security cameras within the building so that the security officers can monitor the activities within every room.

Newhill (2003) also suggests that the social worker and other health professionals should develop defensive skills that he can use to handle these kinds of situations.  While it is true that prevention of workplace violence is a priority they must also be prepared for the possibility that violence may escalate in the workplace. All workers should be given proper training to help them handle and deal with violence incidents. (Best Practice in Workplace Violence and Bullying Interventions 2)

Government assistance is also necessary.  The organization should coordinate closely with the police and seek their advice on the best strategies for protecting the safety of social workers.  They should work in close coordination with the police by getting their hotline number so that immediate assistance can be provided to the social workers in case of emergency.