In July 1993, Northwestern National Life Insurance Company conducted the first comprehensive assessment of the incidence of fear and violence and their effects on the workplace. The survey found that 25 percent of full-time employees in America were harassed, threatened, or attacked on the job between July 1992 and July 1993. Violence and harassment in the workplace are pervasive. Violence and harassment affect the health and productivity of victims and other employees. American employees believe social issues especially substance abuse, layoffs, and poverty are major causes of workplace violence.
Harassers are usually coworkers or bosses, while attackers are more likely to be customers.
Improved interpersonal relations and effective preventive programs can result in lower levels of violence and harassment. The American economy suffers in several ways from the costs associated with workplace violence. Workers compensation is one obvious way. For example, consider the recent event in which five employees, returning to their place of employment from an off-site evening computer class, were shot by a disgruntled employee who was upset because he had not been selected for this training. This shooting caused one fatal injury, two critical injuries, one serious injury, and one minor injury.