Putting an End to Workplace Violence

What does it take to create a safe environment for employees? Park Dietz and other experts and CSOs discuss how to head off a security department's worst nightmare: Workplace violence.

By Daintry Duffy

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The next step is for the response team to formulate a policy on workplace violence and determine how to respond to various situations. Remember that not all situations should be treated equally.

In general, the response team should investigate each incident and do a risk assessment, but that doesn't necessarily require a long process. If an employee is accused of making a threatening comment, questioning witnesses could reveal if the accusation is legitimate.

At AdvancePCS, a health management services provider, Director of Corporate Security Milt Brown advises adjusting your response according to the severity of the circumstance. In cases where an employee is using intimidation, explain the company's zero-tolerance policy to him. Other situations may require immediate intervention.

On Halloween 2003, an employee in one of the AdvancePCS's Southern offices came to work in a Ku Klux Klan costume. The employee meant it as a joke, but management found it tasteless and moved quickly to isolate her from the rest of the employees. She was then promptly terminated. "She could have really incited something," says Brown. "It was just stupid."

Zero-tolerance policies have gained currency in school systems and companies, but executives must take some time to consider what zero tolerance really means at their companies. Should an employee be terminated no matter the severity of the problem? Eugene Rugala, supervisory special agent with the FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, suggests that zero tolerance needs to have some flexibility built into it. "Sometimes companies overreact and terminate somebody before all the facts are in. It's important to take all threats seriously. Look at what may have caused that to happen," he says. "The final consequences have to be flexible. You can't have a one-size-fits-all strategy." 5. Educate and Train"The stereotypical profile of a workplace shooter is a 25-year-old male who lives with his mother, wears combat boots and likes guns," says Hayes. "But many people have those attributes and never commit a crime." A more effective way to identify an employee in trouble is by marked changes in his behavior. Is a previously happy employee suddenly withdrawn and surly? Does he feel victimized, or is he willing to break the rules?

At Sony Electronics, Vice President of Corporate Security Ken Wheatley and his direct reports attend Dietz's training programs, and Sony requires managers to attend four hours of in-house workplace violence training and employees to attend an internal session that lasts several hours.