Workplace deaths bring coworker conflict, mental health issues to the fore

For the past week and a half headlines here in Canada and around the globe have been ratcheting up levels of concern about murders and suicides in the workplace, but is it hype or are they timely warnings?

Either way, the trend has sparked an open discussion about mental health in the workplace - coworker conflict, stress, and the potential for violence.

• The National Post gave us: Workplace violence on the rise, office suicides up 28%: HR expert - a piece that offered strikingly little in the line of actual content on the stats quoted and even less on prevention;
• From the UK Times: France Télécom told to explain 23 staff suicides - discussing an attempted suicide during a meeting and the recent death of an employee who leapt from her fourth floor window, the 23rd successful suicide (plus 13 other attempts) since February 2008;
• CTV ran this story: When workplace conflict becomes too hot to handle - discussing specific incidents of workplace harassment with some tips (and referencing the 2004 Stats Canada study that found that one-fifth of all violent victimization took place in the workplace); and
• MSNBC featured this article: Yale case shines light on workplace violence - containing the quote: "Workplace violence is growing and has become epidemic, according to some worker advocates, although work-related killings appear to be on the decline," and then citing the economic downturn as a cause of the rise inviolence.

Fittingly, this was also a week when Suhujitha and I spent time in a Mental Health Works workshop that in part touched on indicators of violence in the workplace and employees concerns about coworkers undergoing treatment for mental health issues, small or large, so maybe it is a good time to go over the basics.

1. The single best predictor of violent behaviour in the workplace is past aggressive behaviour. If employees are repeatedly complaining about the behaviour of a specific individual, pay attention. Investigate to ensure that it is not a case of false accusation (mobbing or ostracizing) and that it is not a cultural misunderstanding and take the appropriate steps to mitigate it now. It is your responsibility as employer to ensure the safety of the staff, both legally and morally.
2. Workplace abuse thrives in environments with inattentive (or even subtle encouragement from) management. If your workplace culture has traditionally encouraged antagonistic and negatively competitive behaviour, it needs to change. Give a clear warning that things are shifting effective now and then address incidents of hostility immediately and transparently to emphasize that such behaviour will no longer be tolerated.
   ˇ Dealing with issues early will prevent them from becoming long-term escalating grudge matches, but if they have been brewing for any length of time, someone is going to feel that things are not "even". You will need to bring in outside help to deal with this situation if you are not trained.
   ˇ Also: watch for reprisals. Hostile behaviour may shift to become more subtle or intangible (bullying). Do not leave it up to the harassed employee to deal with the fall-out on his or her own.
3. Document all unacceptable incidents. This does not mean that you should breach the privacy of the individuals involved, such as noting personal conversations about troubles at home or medical conditions. If there is a yelling match, note it (and deal with it). If there are threats issued, note them. It will help you to spot trends and identify those who need additional help (e.g. counselling), both for the abuser and the victim.
4. Promote an open-door policy. Make it easy for workers to come to you when there are times of high-stress (even outside the office, like a divorce) or when they are experiencing difficulty with coworkers, so that issues can be resolved before they escalate. Make the time to know what is going on in terms of the interpersonal dynamics under your authority, and the current stress load of each person.
5. Finally, remember that even people with no family history or genetic background of mental illness can become depressed or otherwise impaired when they are placed under chronic stress.
   Honestly assess what workplace factors may be contributing to the the levels of stress your employees are experiencing and what can be ameliorated. Are job cuts looming on the horizon? Does the organizational culture reward cut-throat behaviour and cliques?
   Do you have a realistic picture of what is happening in your workplace? There are third party tools (including ours) to help you get an accurate picture of your workplace from the employees perspective. (Having a third party perform the assessment allows employees to be open and honest about the situation and ours is simply one of many options you can investigate.)

Last Thursday I posted a much more in-depth piece on the attitude towards mental health in the workplace (Repetitive Strain Injuries and the Human Brain) that might be worth a peek in addition to this article. There are also some interesting statistics on this subject in our definition of workplace violence.

Posted by: gisela on 2009-09-28 09:06:06

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