What is aggression and violence in the workplace?
Aggression and violence include behaviors that cause harm to others, both physically and psychologically. These behaviors can come from colleagues, supervisors, clients, or suppliers and take several forms:
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Verbal: shouting, swearing, or intimidating language, either face-to-face or through email or chat.
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Physical: pushing, hitting, destroying property, or other violent actions.
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Psychological: threats, blackmail, humiliation, or other mentally undermining behaviors.
In addition to these obvious forms, there are subtler forms such as micro-aggressions (small, often unconscious discriminatory remarks) and covert aggression (such as gossiping, exclusion, or passive-aggressive behavior). Repeated occurrences of these behaviors can create an unsafe work environment and negatively affect employees’ mental health.
The role of the confidential advisor: identifying, supporting, and preventing
As a confidential advisor, your role goes beyond supporting employees who have already experienced aggression; you also play a key role in preventing boundary-crossing behavior within the organization. This means you:
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Provide a safe space where employees feel heard and supported.
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Pick up on signals and make issues discussable before they escalate.
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Guide employees in next steps, such as reporting incidents to HR or seeking external support.
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Actively contribute to prevention by identifying trends and structural problems and reporting them.
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Raise awareness by promoting conflict management and aggression prevention training for employees and supervisors.
From individual support to organization-wide impact
By using individual conversations to recognize broader patterns, you help shape a safer work environment. This includes:
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Discussing preventive measures with HR and management.
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Encouraging training and workshops on aggression and conflict management.
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Advising supervisors on creating an open and safe workplace culture.
Conclusion
Aggression and violence in the workplace are serious issues that affect not only individual employees but the entire work environment. As a confidential advisor, you are essential in recognizing, addressing, and preventing such behaviors. By providing individual support and promoting preventive measures at an organizational level, you help foster a work culture where respect and safety are central.