"Workplace Violence: Wakefield Responds"
Stephen Doherty, Jennifer Panniello, Dean Jack McDevitt, Dr. Amy Farrell,
Nancy Tierney, Mary Yee, Dean Jack Greene
Northeastern University, September 2004.
According to this Northeastern University study, managers and employees have differing perceptions of security and workplace violence. Though the managers and employees sampled reported the same rates of victimization, executives tended to feel more secure than staff. The study also found that definitions of what constitute a threat or harassment varies from industry to industry.
The survey results indicate that most incidents, short of physical assault, go unreported. The most common reason given for not reporting is that the employee believed the incident was not of sufficient severity to merit the involvement of management or law enforcement.
The report concludes that management must work in tandem with employees to craft workplace violence policies, basing their decisions on the behavioral norms of their industry; encourage early reporting; and vigorously train employees on policy and outcomes.
The researchers surveyed managers and employees of businesses in Wakefield, Mass. for the study. Seventy percent represented companies with fewer than 20 employees. The study was commissioned in the aftermath of a workplace violence incident at Edgewater Technologies in Wakefield, Mass., which claimed the lives of seven people.
