Tess Taylor 
Workplace violence happens more often than most HR pros care to think about. While it doesn’t always make the 5 o’clock news, violence at work can happen with any size or type of company.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports that there are nearly 2 million American workers who have reported an incident of workplace violence each year. Of the 4,500 fatal workplace injuries that occurred in the United States in 2010, over 500 consisted of workplace homicides. The leading cause of death among female workers is domestic violence. Because this is such a common occurrence, labor laws have been updated to provide certain rights to workers experiencing violence or the threat of violence.
Today, Managing Editor and Founder of The HR Writer, Tess C. Taylor, PHR; will be on a panel of experts discussing best practices for developing a workplace violence prevention policy as well as sharing a story about an event that she experienced. You can register here for the webinar if you would like to learn more. The event is “Workplace Safety Webinar” that is hosted by Video Surveillance.
It is the responsibility of every employer to provide a workplace free of violence, either from internal or external threats. Many times, this activity is brought to the attention of the HR manager, but not taken seriously.
A recent Society for Human Resources Managers article sheds more light on the topic of workplace violence. Read this to learn what employment laws you should adhere to when preventing and dealing with violence and domestic violence at work.
