Vittorio Di Martino is an ILO official dealing with questions related to stress and violence at work in the context of organizational change. A former project manager at the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Dublin, he has been a visiting lecturer in employment policies at the University of Bath, United Kingdom, since 1992. A series of tragedies has helped to focus international attention on violence of work. The workplace has traditionally been viewed as a relatively benign and violence-free environment, in which confrontation and dialogue form part of normal operations. Workers and managers are often faced with personal and work-related problems, but dialogue usually prevails over confrontation.
People manage to organize efficient and productive activities within the workplace.
When this occurs, as it seems to be with increasing frequency, violence may enter the workplace and make it a hostile and hazardous setting. Based on rich case-study material, further updated for this new edition, this ILO report addresses workplace violence and is intended to constitute a stimulus for action. The book focuses on those data, experiences and publications which best help to explain and interpret the roots of violence of work, and to promote proactive initiatives. It provides worldwide coverage, as violence at work is found in both developing and industrialized nations. However, it concentrates mainly on industrialized countries, where workplace violence is better documented and the field of investigation more homogenous.