Big Time Workplace Violence

According to the New York Times, one of the most severe cases of workplace violence in recent history occurred at a factory of the largest toy company in the world where thousands of workers were employed. The violence occurred between two ethnic groups employed at the factory, separated by language barriers and competition for the same low paying jobs.

Tension between the two groups had been building, but when an anonymous Internet posting accused six men of one group of raping two women of the other, the tension turned into violence and bloodshed. About 1,000 workers comprised of both groups were involved in a four hour melee at the factory. The two groups of workers bludgeoned one another with fire extinguishers, paving stones, and lengths of steel shorn from bed frames. When the police finally intervened, two workers were dead and 120 injured.

Because of a lackluster investigation of the incident, one group invaded the other’s segregated community ten days later where greater violence was inflicted: 192 people killed, 1,000 injured. As it turns out, the claim of rape which sparked the violence was probably untrue. The tension between the two ethnic groups was real, however, created by years of perceived favoritism of one group over the other.

If you’ve already read the Times article, you know that the violence occurred between the Uighurs, a minority group from the far western region of Xinjang, China, and the more prominent Han Chinese workers. Before blowing this story off, consider the ethnic tensions still existing in American workplaces and what could happen if they’re combined with the desperation caused by today’s economic crisis.

Tension in any workplace shouldn’t be ignored. Talking with each other about what’s causing the tension is what needs to happen. It won’t solve every workplace problem, but it’s likely to stem the possibility of violence.