Domestic Violence and Violence in The Workplace

Work, like everything else, can be stressful from time to time. That’s no secret. What comes from home can follow you into work and vice versa. The day can be ruined before it even begins, but have you ever experienced violence in the workplace? From a fight between coworkers to a robbery on a late night shift, all of these are possible and they happen everyday. The question is why and does it happen in some areas more than others?

If someone is caught in a domestic violence situation, this can have a drastic effect on their work and could lead to workplace violence. The majority of victims of domestic violence are women, and when they are experiencing traumatic problems at home, this can lead to serious issues at work. Some of these include a low productivity and being absent a lot of the time, or taking a full sabbatical. At the same time, this could lead to a violence issue where the offender could follow the victim to work and create a hostile environment. Now, keep in mind, the offender has no connection to the workplace. However, incidents can arise where spouses are co-workers. This would still be considered domestic. This can cause the workplace a great amount of stress, not only because they are worried about the victim, but because of any potential threat that may happen because of the situation as well.

Not all work environments are going to be completely free from violence, though. Some occupations are strictly made to deal with violence, such as police officers and security personnel. In fields like theirs, it isn’t guaranteed that they are going to see violence everyday, but they are definitely more susceptible to it than someone working a desk job in an office. When you think about someone like a bartender, they are also going to see a bit of violence in their workplace. Alcohol is one of the many reasons people get into fights, whether it be over something justifiable or not, but because they are in that position, bartenders are more likely to see violence.

The same can be said about people like cabdrivers in a big city. Attackers target cabdrivers as victims of robbery because they operate at all hours of the night. This makes them more vulnerable and allows them to witness and fall victim to violence in their workplace. Lastly, government and hospital workers, who also have an increased risk of violence. Hospital workers, for example, get mental health patient in everyday that are violent. This creates an unsafe work environment for nurses and doctors alike, where they need to get that patient under control before they hurt themselves or someone else. Then, as far as government, that relates to outside violence from people who are unhappy with government policies. For example, in a small town, someone who is unhappy with a government policy could just walk right in to the mayor’s office and create a violent situation. These are all risks that are taken everyday when these people go to work.

So, yes, domestic violence can be a treat to the workplace. It can cause fear for the employees and the company alike. At the same time, there are many professions that are much more susceptible to violence than others. With the knowledge of workplace violence, it is important to be educated on ways to avoid conflict and be as stress free as possible.