Out To Lunch

Violence At Work

This week we look at violence. Such violence could be physical, such as where an employee physically assaults his colleague/subordinate/manager/client, or it could be verbal, where the employee either verbally attacks someone he works with, or threatens that person with assault.

Actual physical violence, whether you punch someone in the face - or anywhere for that matter; push them roughly against the wall or a piece of furniture; poke your finger in their forehead; slap them across the face, kick them, or pull them by the collar, is not as rare as we may like to think.  However, more common than these are the verbal expressions of violence, where a colleague threatens to beat another up, or speaks in a belligerent tone, or chooses unpleasant and abrasive words, for instance. Some even go as far as threatening murder - such threats are usually made non-verbally, where someone just runs his finger across his throat and menacingly waves that same finger at his intended victim.

Editor's Comment
Mob justice isn't just

A young man suspected of breaking into a car was seized by residents, severely assaulted, and died in the hospital within an hour. We unreservedly condemn this mob justice. It is not a solution to crime, but a criminal offence that turns citizens into murderers.Residents are understandably angry about theft. The person who raised the alarm at 4am acted lawfully, and the neighbours who rushed to help showed community spirit. But what followed was...

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