Workplace violence encompasses four main categories, each characterized by specific types of violence:
- Criminal Intent against Business: This category involves violence aimed at the business itself and includes acts such as robbery, shoplifting, and trespassing.
- Patient/Family Member/Friend vs. Staff: Violence in this category is perpetrated by patients, their family members, or friends against healthcare staff. It can manifest as verbal abuse, threatening behavior, or physical assaults.
- Staff vs. Staff: Here, violence is directed from one staff member towards another, including colleagues, supervisors, or managers. This can involve verbal insults, harassment, or physical altercations.
- Personal/Domestic Relationship: In this category, the perpetrator often has a personal relationship with an employee of the business, such as an estranged partner assaulting an employee on work premises.
In addition to these categories, workplace violence is often accompanied by disruptive behaviors, including threats, verbal insults, harassment, intimidation, yelling, bullying, and stalking. These behaviors further exacerbate the impact of violence in the workplace and contribute to a hostile and unsafe environment for employees.
| Category | How it presents |
|---|---|
| Criminal intent against the business | Violence aimed at the business itself, including robbery, shoplifting, and trespassing. |
| Patient, family member, or friend vs. staff | Verbal abuse, threatening behavior, or physical assault directed at healthcare staff. |
| Staff vs. staff | Verbal insults, harassment, or physical altercations between colleagues, supervisors, or managers. |
| Personal or domestic relationship | The perpetrator has a personal relationship with an employee, such as an estranged partner assaulting them on work premises. |
