Out To Lunch

SHAMEELA WINSTON | Monday April 16, 2007 00:00

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.

Especially common are the subtle, understated non-verbal signals of violence such as the cold shoulder one gives a 'blacklisted' colleague, the deliberate acts of sabotage designed to undermine a colleague/client who has fallen out of favour, the way one looks at another with malice and hatred, or the way one rips up and flings into a dustbin a memo sent from a hated colleague.

It is not easy to know how widespread instances of workplace violence are because not everyone who experiences this will report it, especially where it was a case of implied violence.

Employees may keep mum because they are afraid of the indignity of publicly admitting to being assaulted, or because they fear further recrimination. Sometimes they just keep quiet because they have no faith in the system.

Why would people behave in such a primitive manner when we are so civilised? Mostly, people turn to violence when they are so stressed out and frustrated that they are no longer able to separate themselves personally from their professional roles.  Just for interests' sake, synonyms associated with stress include harassed, strained, frazzled, and tense.

Synonyms for frustrated are even more illustrative, and include aggravated, provoked, irritated, goaded, distressed, and wound-up. Therefore, stress and frustration are enough to wind someone up to the breaking point, and if he has not learnt sufficient coping mechanisms, guess what? He will snap.

What could be so stressful in our day-to-day working lives?

*Workplace politics. Sometimes one works in an environment that feels and/or appears hostile for a number of reasons: one may believe there is favouritism, prejudice, as well as a lack of justice and impartiality in the way resources are allocated, or in the way policies are applied, for instance. One may believe that where he works, people are, or appear to be, discriminated against because of their religion, HIV status, tribal background, educational levels, social class, and so on.  His attitude and resultant behaviour may exaccerbate tensions, which would further confirm his perceptions as reality to him.

*Workplace pressure. Sometimes just the nature of the job itself is stressful, perhaps because it is fast-paced, or because there is no room for error, or because the manager is extremely demanding, or because of the volumes of work, and the intensity of these implications is what stresses employees.

*Customers being difficult for the sake of being difficult. As much as I campaign for improved levels of service delivery, I have to admit that some customers are just, quite simply, a royal pain. Dealing with their unreasonable demands on a daily basis, especially without support from management, can cause an employee stress. I mean, I was in a clothing store once when I overheard a customer insisting that she be allowed to put some items on lay-bye. She steadfastly refused to accept that lay-bye policy automatically excludes items that are already on sale. She insisted on seeing the manager, and was still fussing about it when I left.

*General job insecurity. Another stressor is sheer job insecurity, as a result of looming change, or just knowing that one's employer has a reputation to just dismiss without regard to labour laws.

*Difficulty getting along with colleagues. Sometimes a person feels left out, for no other reason than a difficulty to fit in. The resulting 'me vs. them' attitude is frustrating because one knows that there is no actual prejudice or anything sinister, it's just that one doesn't feel belongingness.

*Difficulty with specific work-related tasks. No matter how qualified or experienced, an employee may encounter some job-task related challenges that are either so acute or so chronic that they become a source of stress and frustration.

Employees could snap at each other or show such violence to clients. Imagine how stressful it must be to work in a correctional facility (prison), or, in a rehabilitative environment such as a crowded clinic or hospital. You know, even if violence - whether physical or not, was not in somebody's repertoire, if he works in such an environment where threats are made and carried out regularly, he will be inducted into that value system and will definitely begin to display such behaviours.

What is the point? Well, what is the impact of this type of atmosphere on an individual's ability to deliver at acceptable standards? What is the impact of this type of working environment on the ability of a team to work together as a cohesive unit? What is the impact of this behaviour on a team and their willingness to interact with each other and with their clients, if there are no safety nets in place for their protection?

What is their perception of management if colleagues who have been exposed to violence were not adequately supported (medical attention, counselling, and so on? What is the effect of such an environment on your bottom line as an employer? Stress and its indicators such as substance abuse and workplace violence are worth management's attention - and intervention- if the business is to realise its stated goals/missions. And remember, any exercise selected won't be effective if leaders do not practice what they preach.

*Shameela Winston is a human resource consultant in private practice. She is available to readers on ponniewinston@yahoo.com.