How can I prevent desk rage at work?
According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), incidents of desk rage and associated workplace violence are on the rise. What can you expect from long work hours, a general lack of job security, and unfilled job expectations? However, even though these are all stressful concepts, you should still remain calm behind the desk.
The highest incidence of workplace violence, with stress on the job as the main cause is usually experienced by employees of service-related companies. On average, 2 million people are victims of workplace violence each year, according to the Department of Justice.
Statistically, 42% of Americans say that their workplace is a place where yelling and verbal abuse takes place while 10% say that stress has reached a point of such high severity, it has caused physical violence.
One form of workplace violence is known as “desk rage”. This form of stress includes throwing objects, screaming and other serious acts of violence against coworkers. Sadly, “desk rage” seems to be increasing throughout time. Even though these incidents might have some sort of reason, that doesn’t mean that it’s normal. In fact, employees should be encouraged to report such inappropriate incidents to management.
The III recommends the following tips for preventing such incidents from happening:
- Try purchasing workplace-safety insurance coverage
- Suitably screen new and potential employees
- In order to deal with customer or employee complaints, consider training management
- Document and identify high-risk behavior in employees
- Develop workplace safety guidelines
Here are some ways you will be able to check for high-risk employees:
- Numerous conflicts with other employees or supervisors
- Bullying, harassing, belligerent, intimidating and other signs of aggressive behavior
- Making statements that point to consideration of suicide
- Excessive consumption of alcohol or drugs
- Sudden changes in behavior
- Bringing weapons to work, using weapons at work, indicating weapons, etc…
- Making violent statements to other employees, such as threats
- Any veiled or direct threats of harm