Preventing Workplace Violence in Human Services Workplaces: Organizational Dynamics to Support Positive Interpersonal Interactions Among Colleagues

ABSTRACT A random sample of human service workers employed by a large public administration organization in Canada (n = 1574) was surveyed to assess the workers’ experiences with negative interpersonal interactions with colleagues, supervisors, and managers and to determine key organizational factors (i.e., supervision, workload, team dynamics, and workplace culture) that predict experiences of workplace violence. The findings support the need to develop workplace environments that support positive intrapersonal relationships between workers, foster mechanisms for improved interpersonal team functioning, promote equality among workers, and improve supervisor-to-worker attentiveness within supervisory relationships. Implications for human services workplace settings are discussed.