Recent outbreaks of workplace violence in Seattle and Honolulu have left many U.S. workers feeling uneasy about their safety, perhaps with good reason. Today, workplace violence accounts for one in every six violent crimes in the United States, and 60 percent of American workers do not feel safe on their jobs.
An increasing number of companies recognize this horrific trend and they are starting to use preventive programs that can pinpoint a potential problem and take action before it explodes during business hours. "Workplace violence prevention has been around for a while in government and in law enforcement agencies, but now we are seeing a significant switch into the corporate world," said Dr. James Cavanaugh, director of the Isaac Ray Center at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center. Cavanaugh has organized a team of psychiatrists and psychologists who work with companies and agencies to identify and deal with workplace violence. Unfortunately, companies often experience first hand an incident involving one of their employees before they act, Cavanaugh noted. Rush has offered its special workplace violence prevention team for several years but has recently begun to work with two companies to enhance and expand this service.
The Isaac Ray Center at Rush has joined forces with Professional Workplace Interactions, Inc. (PWI) in San Diego to further enhance response time capabilities and develop useful information products for corporate America. While the Rush professionals evaluate on behalf of the company, employees who may not be fit for duty (i.e., could potentially be dangerous), PWI assists companies to first be aware of the workplace problem and then to develop intervention and prevention strategies to reduce the risk of future liability by educating company managers. Once a potentially violent employee is identified by PWI, then the San Diego consulting group can call the Rush team for state of the art clinical assessment and intervention advice.
"Violence in the workplace usually is the result of stress," said Dr. Rodgers Wilson, director of special projects at the Isaac Ray Center. "Our team assesses employees' emotional and physical fitness for their jobs. This shows us the potential for violence and guides us in assessing the diagnostic issues and in deciding upon the preventive measures necessary for the situation."
According to David Smith, president and CEO of PWI, there are three stages that lead to a violent act, allowing the trained manager opportunities to intervene. "The first stage is exhibited through inappropriate language such as swearing, yelling or name calling," Smith said. "Next, the employee will often vandalize company property or steal an object from another employee in an attempt to sabotage the employee's career." The third and final stage is reached when the employee commits, or attempts to commit, a violent act or actually harasses another employee," Smith said. "Rush and PWI try to pinpoint the potential for violence at the earliest stages, but many companies still don't come to us for help until after a violent incident has occurred. We want to raise companies' awareness and increase their participation in preventive measures rather than wait until incidents of workplace violence become full blown," Cavanaugh said.
The courts are placing the liability for on-site violence on the companies, causing many businesses to take a second look at their policies and procedures. While many larger companies have the resources and the motivation to conduct workplace violence training, Cavanaugh believes that the future holds huge potential for developing Internet educational materials for smaller companies who want to reconfigure their polices to better understand and reduce their risk.
Currently, Rush and TeamWerks, Inc, a Chicago based Internet solutions, software company, are working to develop new products that will incorporate the clinical and educational expertise of the Rush Isaac Ray Center/PWI initiatives with TeamWerks' software development capabilities. According to Alison Chung, president and CEO of TeamWerks, Inc. password protected websites can be developed that allow companies to track suspected violent employees, and can provide regular updates about new clinical, legal and administrative information on workplace violence issues.
"We can help companies prepare for a crisis by providing them a regular flow of information about workplace violence issues that are developed by the psychiatrists and psychologists at Rush," Chung said. There are approximately 15-20 workplace violence prevention programs in the United States. However, Rush is one of only two programs that offer such a broad spectrum of diagnostic and educational services by working with other affiliated entities. "We want to help companies find solutions. Workplace violence is a form of applied behavioral science that will be dramatically expanding in the coming years," stated Cavanaugh. "It is important that we help businesses take action and stop the violence before in begins."
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center includes the 809-bed Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital; 154-bed Johnston R. Bowman Health Center for the Elderly; Rush University (Rush Medical College, College of Nursing, College of Health Sciences and Graduate College); and seven Rush Institutes providing diagnosis, treatment and research into leading health problems. The medical center is the tertiary hub of the Rush System for Health, a comprehensive healthcare system capable of serving about three million people through its outpatient facilities and eight member hospitals.