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Managing in Fear: Handling Hostile Employees

Tyler Burch, Jason Cox
December 31, 2018
SKU:
BUS-004869
Region: 
North America
Topic: 
Human Resources & Organizational Behavior
Length: 
2 pages
Keywords: 
workplace violence, reactive aggression, instant aggression model, angry emoloyees, fear, aggression
Copyrighted by: 
Journal of Critical Incidents
Student Price: 
$4.00 (€3.76)
Average rating: 
0

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, nearly two million workers report being victims of workplace violence each year. This critical incident depicts Jared, the manager of an auto body shop, in a potentially violent situation with his employee, Alex. The decision point of this incident ensued when Jared was threatened with immediate bodily harm by Alex after Jared instructed Alex to redo some of his auto body work. Jared had heard complaints and rumors of Alex being a violent person, but he had never experienced it firsthand until this incident. Fear, personal safety, and saving face with employees all complicated the immediate decision Jared now had to make. How should he respond in this situation?

Learning Outcomes: 
  • Explain how fear affects the decision-making process
  • Describe strategies for effectively preventing violence in the workplace
  • Evaluate strategies for minimizing a violent situation in the workplace in case prevention strategies break down.