Violence or Conflict?

When considering violence between coworkers it's important to distinguish between an incident of true workplace violence versus a situation that can be better described as a conflict based on a momentary misunderstanding. Failure to make this distinction can lead to unnecessary investigations and unwarranted penalties for the accused. For example, well intentioned "zero tolerance" policies have been criticized by some workers rights advocates for heavy-handed responses to relatively insignificant infractions.

Conflicts are typically temporary, isolated events and are generally resolved by rational means. While conflict can be a precursor to violence most conflicts resolve positively and do not progress to violence.

By contrast, worker-on-worker violence and abuse are often persistent, systematic, and irrational (though the abuser may feel otherwise) and frequently involve a power differential. Conflicts that fail to resolve positively may well lead to further conflicts. When conflict becomes persistent or systematic it may be regarded as abuse or violence.

Resolving conflict between coworkers early, before it can escalate to more serious forms, is an effective method for preventing violence and abuse between coworkers.