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However, often management does nothing, even in these extreme cases.
Management does not call the police, and often the security department
is not even notified that this individual has made threats and must not to
be admitted into the building. Tragically, many times these individuals are
as good as their word and do return, with deadly results. The circum-
stances are all the more heartbreaking because they could easily have been
averted.
The initial step to take to prevent workplace violence is basic training
that teaches the employees of your company to recognize the warning
signs that a particular employee may be planning acts of violence. Very
often a person may seem disgruntled or angry about certain situations in
the company. Perhaps the person has been passed over for promotion,
either justifiably or unjustifiably, and is expressing anger over what he or
she perceives as unfair treatment. Sometimes the violence may be trig-
gered by relationships with coworkers. In many of the horrible school
shootings in the United States during the last few years, there often has
been a pattern of systematic bullying of the shooter before the violent act.
The child, most likely already suffering from personality disorders, lives
in dread that each new day of school will bring more harassment, more
name calling, and more physical abuse. Finally the child begins having
revenge fantasies where those bullying him are punished. Thoughts of
revenge allow the victim of harassment to feel more in control of the sit-
uation. If the circumstances are not addressed, they can fester until ulti-
mately the victim of the day-in, day-out bullying can take it no more. One
day the person decides to turn fantasy into reality. While this explanation
does not excuse the violent conduct, it shows how timely intervention
could easily prevent tragedies from happening.
Management needs to implement explicit notification procedures to
ensure supervisory awareness and action. These programs must include a
complaint process that transcends the usual chain of command in instances
where, for example, procedures call for employees to notify the first-level
supervisor, when it may very well be this person who is causing the prob-
lem. There also must be a clearly defined procedure for employees to
follow when they notice unusual behavior in a coworker. Management
must be made aware as soon as possible to allow for the implementation
of appropriate intervention techniques. Often the human resources depart-
ment can employ the services of a mental health professional familiar with
employee-related crises. An evaluation by such a trained person is a very
good first step to take before a problem becomes more serious.
