Effect on Organizations
Workplace violence has several effects on organizations. The most direct effect comes from victims. Stress and mental and physical health effects on employees affects their productivity, which of course, affects the organization’s ability to operate effectively and profitably. Employers end up placing the victim’s workload on other employees while the victim recovers from any injuries (physical or mental) and may need to continue to rely on other employees to compensate long term if the effect was severe. The employer, depending on the way their health insurance works, may also have a financial cost for increased need of health care among employees. Worker’s compensation may also come into play for the victim.
Victimization may also affect the culture of the workplace. Employees may not feel safe, or they may feel increased stress, which in turn may increase worker burnout and turnover. When an employee leaves a company, it costs money to recruit and train a new employee and get the new employee comfortable and proficient in the new job. If the new employee enters a hostile workplace because bullying has been going on, the newcomer’s time at the company may even be shorter, creating more hiring costs.
When companies are not proactive about ensuring employee safety, the company may get a bad reputation, making it more difficult to recruit qualified people to fill vacant positions. This is especially true when it comes to workplace bullying and client violence. No one wants to work at a hospital, mental health center, or other company where there is a greater chance of experiencing violence because no real policies or procedures are in place to help prevent the violence from happening in the first place.