A Simple Office Crush or Workplace Violence?
We hear about obsessed fans who stalk and harass celebrities, but you probably don’t hear a lot about a co-worker who has a romantic obsession with another co-worker. The obsessions that I am referring to are unwanted and unwarranted. The co-worker does not reciprocate attention or feelings.
In most cases the employee who is being stalked does not report the situation to security or human resources. For the most part they keep the situation quiet perhaps telling only one trusted co-worker who they have sworn to secrecy. Is this romantic obsession workplace violence? Absolutely! This type of behavior needs to be reported to a supervisor, Human Resources and Security. It is every one’s responsibility to keep the workplace safe.
Here's a tragic example of what can happen when a romantic obsession goes too far and is not de-escalated in the beginning stages:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2146963/Obsessed-man-suburban-SUICIDE-BOMBER-storming-female-workers-house-blowing-up.html
Contact us if you have a workplace violence situation and need our expert advice. We're here to help keep your people and your workplace safe! Call us at (623) 242-8797 or email safety@violence-free.com.