Preventing Workplace Violence in Human Services Workplaces: Organizational Strategies to Support Positive Interpersonal Interactions

Background: This study identifies organizational factors that reduce incidences of workplace violence experienced by human service workers when engaged with colleagues, supervisors, and managers (i.e. bullying, false allegations, harassment, interference, name calling, physical violence, verbal threats, and yelling). Research highlights that organizational strategies can help to minimize worker experiences with workplace violence (such as improving supervision, reducing caseloads, providing coping resources, and increasing worker support). However, the use of these practices is highly dependent on the context and culture of the organization itself; demonstrating the need to delineate how a range of organizational factors interact in a nuanced way to create work environments that prevent workplace violence. We asked:  To what extent are worker experiences with workplace violence explained by characteristics related to workload, supervision, team dynamics, and workplace culture?

Methods: Quantitative research methods were utilized. A random sample of Government of Alberta human service workers (n=212) were surveyed to assess their experiences with negative interpersonal interactions with colleagues, supervisors, and managers, along with an assessment of key organizational factors (i.e. supervision, workload, team dynamics, and workplace culture). Participants included those that worked in various roles (i.e. worker, supervisor, and manager) and service delivery areas (i.e. disability services, child welfare, housing supports, and income security and employment supports). Measures to assess workplace violence were developed from previous research with this study sample. Measures for key organizational and workplace characteristics were developed following an initial stage of qualitative research with members (n=85) of this study population. Data analysis included confirmatory factor analysis of each of the organizational factor measures and multiple regression to determine the effect of each organizational variable on the extent of participant experiences with workplace violence.  

Results: Good fit indices were found among the four organizational factor constructs: 1) workload (CFI=0.959, TLI=0.946, RMSEA=0.082), 2) quality of supervision (with 4 latent variables that include: equal treatment by supervisor, worker involvement in supervisory relationship, support from supervisor, and attentiveness of supervisor) (CFI=0.959, TLI=0.950, RMSEA=0.084), 3) team dynamics (inclusive of two latent variables representing intra-personal and inter-personal team dynamics) (CFI=0.959, TLI=0.946, RMSEA=0.082), and 4) workplace culture (with three latent variables that include: a culture of openness towards workplace safety, mechanisms of support for workplace safety, and efforts to enhance perceived physical and emotional safety) (CFI=0.945, TLI=0.929, RMSEA=0.081). Internal consistency coefficients for each of the measures range from 0.75 to 0.95. Multiple regression analysis found that intra-personal team dynamics (p<0.001), mechanisms of support for workplace safety (p<0.05), and equal treatment by supervisor (p<0.05) were all significant predictors of reduced worker experiences with workplace violence.

Conclusions and Implications: The findings support the development of workplace strategies to prevent worker experiences with workplace violence in the human services. In particular, results show the need to create workplace cultures that accentuate the mechanisms of worker support, to support the intra-personal (or perceived) quality of relationship between workers, and to promote equality among workers within their supervisory relationships. Further qualitative research could explore intervention methods to support the development of these factors within human services workplaces.