Preventing Workplace Violence from Infiltrating Business

Externally generated workplace violence (EGWV) is defined as a situation when a perpetrator with no legitimate relationship to a business threatens or assaults an intended victim while at work or on duty.

EGWV does not happen in a closed environment. Approximately 75 percent of victims face harassment from intimate partners while at work. Ninety-six percent of assaulted women who are employed experience problems at work because of abuse suffered at home. Victims of EGWV are less productive, are late and absent more frequently, and are more prone to job loss than their fellow employees. The perpetrator might follow or attack his or her partner as well as other people working in the organization. Abuse could occur between dating or married coworkers.

The findings of this qualitative case study exploring and identifying strategies to prevent EGWV from infiltrating organizations will lead to increased managerial awareness of EGWV in business, thereby enhancing workplace safety, reducing costs, and preventing liability issues.

Furthermore, educating managers and employees about EGWV can contribute to social change, as more and more people come to understand that the problem of domestic abuse is a concern for employers and the wider community.