Work should be a place where an individual can feel safe, protected, and valued. An employee should never feel threatened, unsafe, or fearful of abuse. Over recent years, work place violence has sky rocketed to staggering numbers. According to the National Safety Council, nearly 2 million U.S. workers become victims of workplace violence every year. Furthermore, work place fatalities are quickly reaching 600 per year caused by intended assaults. These statistics prove that workplace violence is a serious topic and needs specific attention.
For one to understand why these violent acts are being committed, an individual must understand why they were not prevented. Although violence in the work place can be done by anyone, many times they are committed by individuals with a criminal record. The problem with this is that usually the employer finds out after the violent act transpired. Although there is not a way to 100% prevent workplace violence, carrying out a background check is always a good strategy. Doing so will inform the employer if an applicant has a criminal record, is a sex offender, and many other services that True Hire has to offer.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health says, “workplace violence falls into four categories: Criminal intent, customer/client, worker-on-worker and personal relationship, which overwhelmingly targets women.”
To prevent workplace violence, employers should:
- Utilize pre-employment background checks
- Run continuous background checks during employee’s time at the company
- Have an “open-door” policy to express any concerns or violence cases
- Have a “no-exceptions” policy to prevent reoccurrence
- Notify law enforcement when necessary to mitigate the situation
Companies should be confident in their hires, employees, and staff relationships. Start with pre-employment background checks today.
