William L. Waugh, Jr. and Lloyd G. Nigro
Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies
School of Policy Studies
Georgia State University         WORK PLACE VIOLENCE: A HUMAN RESOURCES PERSPECTIVE   ABSTRACT

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Although they are about 18 percent of the U.S. labor force, public employees were the victims of about 30 percent of the cases of work place violence during the years 1987-1992. Public concern about OVC is typically a function of media coverage, as shown by the Oklahoma City bombing, but there is great uncertainty about the level of risk that it actually poses for public workers in general and for specific occupational groups. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge regarding occupational violent crime (OVC) in the United States and explores the implications for the human resources policies and practices of public employers. Public employers should assume leadership in a systematic effort to prevent OVC and to deal with its consequences by: (1) developing appropriate policies and procedures related to risk assessment and prevention, (2) evaluating existing personnel practices and training programs to assure that they deal effectively with work place violence concerns, and (3) dealing with the psychological and other effects of violence through mechanisms such as employee assistance programs.