What is Workplace Violence?

Workplace violence refers to any act of violence or threat of violence that occurs in a place of employment (at Sonoma State University). Acts of violence include, but are not limited to, the following:

• the threat or use of physical force against an employee that results in, or has a high likelihood of resulting in, injury, psychological trauma, or stress, regardless of whether the employee sustains an injury.
• an incident involving a threat or use of a firearm or other dangerous weapon, including the use of common objects as weapons, regardless of whether the employee sustains an injury.
• does not include lawful acts of self-defense or defense of others.

There are four common types of workplace violence (any incident may include overlaps of multiple types of violence as defined below):

• Type 1 Violence: Workplace violence committed by a person who has no legitimate business at the worksite, including violent acts by anyone who enters the workplace or approaches workers with the intent to commit a crime.
• Type 2 Violence: Workplace violence directed at employees by customers, clients, patients, students, inmates, or visitors.
• Type 3 Violence: Workplace violence against an employee by a present or former employee, supervisor, or manager.
• Type 4 Violence: Workplace violence committed in the workplace by a person who does not work there but has or is known to have had a personal relationship with an employee.

Threat of violence means any verbal or written statement, including, but not limited to, texts, electronic messages, social media messages, or other online posts, or any behavioral or physical conduct, that conveys an intent, or that is reasonably perceived to convey an intent, to cause physical harm or to place someone in fear of physical harm, and that serves no legitimate purpose.

Learn about how to report to incidents of workplace violence.