"DYING TO WORK"
PART I: THE PROBLEM


The Centers for Disease Control have officially declared workplace
homicide to be a disease epidemic.

Although workplace violence is often equated with murder, other
types of violence are even more pervasive.

In a recent one-year period, 2 Million People were Attacked,
6 Million Threatened and 16 Million Harassed.  Where does all this
violence come from and what motivates it?

               1. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
               2. DISGRUNTLED CUSTOMERS/CLIENTS
               3. CO-WORKERS
               4. CRIMINAL ACTS

The three common motives for these types of violence are:

               1. JEALOUSY
               2. REVENGE
               3. FINANCIAL GAIN

Workplace violence is becoming more pervasive for the following
reasons:

  I.  THE ECONOMY
               
      As companies try to become more competitive,
      they often begin to downsize or outsource.  This creates
      severe financial stress and, along with other factors,
      may cause an individual to hurt their employer or
      co-workers.
                
 II.  WORK ENVIRONMENT

      Chronic labor problems, overtime requirements,
      inappropriate management procedures, unfair
      decisions regarding promotions or terminations:
      all of these things taken as a group can result
      in what is called a "Toxic Workplace" environment.
      Such an environment places great stress on workers
      and can be the root cause of anger which may result 
      in violence.
      
 III.  THE MEDIA
 
      Violence has become a part of everyday life.  We see
      it on television, in the news, on the streets.  Many
      people see violence as an acceptable way to solve
      their problems.

 IV.  DOMESTIC CONNECTION

      Jealousy, rage and/or depression caused by problems
      with loved ones are some of the strongest motives for
      workplace violence.

  V.  CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

      Criminals who are released after serving little or
      no time for committing acts of violence usually 
      continue their violent behavior.

 VI.  THE GUN
 
      The Gun is the weapon of choice in over 80% of 
      workplace violence murders.  Sometimes easy
      access to guns and other weapons can lead to 
      further violence if the applicant is not
      carefully screened.

VII.  SOCIETY

      Our society has a history of violent and warlike
      behavior.  From the Revolutionary War, to the Civil
      War and the great World Wars, we have incessantly
      been fighting among ourselves and with others.  It's
      ironic that the most reliable measure of an individual's
      violence potential is a history of violence.  It could be 
      that the same measure works for societies as well as
      individuals.  What is true of society will be true in the
      workplace of that society.

All companies need to be aware that there are no safe havens from
workplace violence.  They need to do whatever they can to protect
their workers because workplace violence can happen anywhere.