Ever since 1986, when mailman Patrick Sherril shot and killed 14
postal workers in Edmond, Oklahoma, workplace violence seems to be on the
upswing.
According to psychologist Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D., author of
Ticking Bombs: Defusing Violence in the Workplace (Times-Mirror; 1994),
the reason is twofold: paranoid, frustrated workers and a careless,
punitive, autocratic workplace.
Violence, says Mantell, is the ultimate manifestation of job
stress. Over the years, the job demands of postal workers have increased,
requiring more employee responsibility and initiative, while management
philosophy became frozen.
Mantell, who organized psychological services in response to the
1984 McDonald's restaurant massacre in San Ysidro, California, found that
routine employee-assistance programs fall far short of detecting and
treating disturbed workers. Typically, he reported, they include "two or
three sessions with often untrained counselors, sometimes over the phone.
In today's society, that is simply not enough."
In the wake of his work with the survivors of both Edmond and San
Ysidro, Mantell developed a prevention model to cut down on the number of
violent incidents at work while giving a sense of security and confidence
to workers.
He put the onus on employers to identify and defuse potentially
violent individuals, and stressed that the victims--the management team,
supervisor, or persons killed--are never to blame. "It's simply time that
corporate America recognize that it has a responsibility to protect its
people as well as it protects its equipment and its property. That means
taking care of workers from before they're hired all the way through
their employment."
PORTRAIT OF A VIOLENT WORKER
In general
o White, male, 25-50
o Low self-esteem
o Loner
o Fascination with the military and/or guns
Those who commit nonlethal violence
o under 30
o history of some violence
o drugs and/or alcohol abuse
Those who commit lethal violence
o over 30
o no history of violence or substance abuse
o delusional, paranoid, few outlets for release of
frustration
EMPLOYER METHODS FOR DEFUSING THE BOMB
1. Extensive psychological screening for all potential
employees
2. Continual training for supervisory teams to help them detect
early warning signs of emotional upset
3. A "golden-rule" attitude in work, wherein employees feel a sense
of reward and recognition for their achievements
4. Educational programs aimed at teaching workers how to respond to
conflict in personal situations
5. Counseling services for employees and their families for either
job or personal problems
6. Proper security measures to protect the organization and its
employees
7. Counseling and stress-debriefing in the aftermath of violence in
the workplace
Tags:
corporate america,
edmond oklahoma,
employee,
employee assistance programs,
employee responsibility,
low self esteem,
mailman,
management philosophy,
mantell,
onus,
post office,
postal workers,
psychological services,
san ysidro california,
sense of security,
stress,
team supervisor,
upswing,
violence,
violence in the workplace,
violent incidents,
violent individuals,
work,
workplace violence
