Violence in the workplace is the fourth leading cause of death in the workplace and the leading cause of death for women. Workplace violence is an evil and corrosive poison that can rob an organization of its focus, resources, and, in extreme cases, its ability to operate entirely. So, it is a serious threat to the commerce and way of life. But the real point is that the face of workplace violence may be changing ever so slightly. Operating in denial of the possibility of workplace violence (WPV) is especially true for small businesses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 70 percent of businesses do not have a violence prevention policy or program. The issue of WPV may be included in broad base language as “disruptive behavior” or “violation of law,” but it is not attacked directly. In other words, the problem and policy are not called out as a subset of an overall need for the business. Most experts agree that organizations need to draw universal attention to the issue by communicating what the operating in denial of the possibility of WPV is especially true for small businesses.
