Preventing Workplace Violence: Why Employee Morale Matters (12/6/12)

As I was preparing for our “Every Employer is Vulnerable — Assessing and Preventing Workplace Violence” seminar for Occupational Health and Safety, I came across an excellent article by Harvey Mackay in the Star Tribune about employee morale.

The article touched on the critical idea that so many workers in America feel that they work for an organization that doesn’t care about them.  According to Mr. Mackay and the surveys he cites generally, approximately 7 in 8 workers feel this way, which equates to 130 million workers in the U.S.

He goes on to cite the results of reward programs for employees and their profound effect on employee morale, which includes the compelling quote from one employee about how the reward program completely changed his perspective. See Mr. Mackay’s entire column to learn the specifics of these programs.

How does employee morale relate to workplace violence?  According to the Dr. Kris Kienlen, my seminar co-presenter, the triggers and contexts that escalate workplace violence risk often involve how one feels about their job and themselves:

• a profound sense of rejection or injustice,
• serious job-related issues,
• critical level of stress or conflict,
• other personal losses.

Consider, today, how your organization is supporting and rewarding your employees.  What steps can you take now to boost morale and reduce the triggers that can lead to workplace violence?