Rita Vélez Alvarado

Consultora independiente, Puerto Rico

 

Adam Rosario Rodríguez

Universidad Albizu, San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Abner Vélez

Consultor independiente, Puerto Rico

Abstract

Violence in the workplace refers to threatening or violent action against an employee. The purpose of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Organizational Violence and Aggression in the Workplace Climate Scale (EVOACL) Kessler et al. (2008) in a sample of Puerto Rican adults. A total of 204 workers participated in this exploratory, instrumental and psychometric study. The results showed a Three-factor solution as the most appropriate to explain the variance in the scores. These factors identified as Policies and Procedures, Procedures and Response, and Imposition of Unsafe Practices. A total of 18 items met the criteria of discrimination and appropriate factor loads (six items per factor.) The reliability index of the scale was .96 (Cronbach’s alpha) for the dimensions of the Policies and Procedures and Procedures and Responses and .92 (Cronbach’s alpha) for the dimension of the Imposition of Unsafe Practices. These results suggest that the EVOACL has the potential to measure this construct in the Puerto Rican work environment. Also, EVOACL will allow the advance of new research on the phenomenon of Organizational Violence and  Aggression in the Workplace Climate in the working population of Puerto Rico.

KeywordsOrganizational Violence, Physical Aggression, Psychological Aggression

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