Harming the Administrative State: A Review of Physical Work Violence and Aggressions toward Public Servants

This review examines empirical research regarding workplace physical violence and aggression directed toward public servants. Practical recommendations to help prevent, intervene in, and control aggression and physical violence against public servants are presented, along with the analyses from which these recommendations stem are examined. The research methodology involved a comprehensive analysis of articles from 51 scholarly journals, encompassing publications in 2 languages without temporal restrictions. Our results are to the effect that most of the violence is perpetrated by users and citizens, not coworkers; few recommendations focus on the users and citizens who are violent. The recommendations fell into three categories: enhancing staff and management safety training for aggression prevention, investigating additional violence risk factors through research, and addressing discriminatory workplace practices that may trigger violence. Our research agenda outlines strategic directions for future investigation on physical work violence in the public sector.