Saturday, November 6, 1999
SAY the words workplace violence and most people think of a rampage shooting like the one in the City of Los Angeles building, where Willie Woods opened fire with a Glock semiautomatic pistol, killing four managers. Or maybe they will think of Bruce Clark, a 22-year U.S. Postal Service veteran who shot and killed his supervisor at a mail processing facility in another Southern California city. What about classic loner James Davis, who killed three and injured four at a manufacturing plant in North Carolina?
And now those words bring to mind a new name, Byran K. Uyesugi, the 40-year-old Xerox repairman facing murder charges for allegedly shooting to death seven coworkers Tuesday in Honolulu.
But are these acts really what we should think of when we discuss this issue? Although deadly acts certainly pose a threat to the American worker, the berserk, disturbed worker accounts for a small percentage of occupational deaths. A much more common cause of death is robbery, which causes about 1,000 deaths from violence in the workplace each year.
Workplace violence seems to have two definitions. The one perpetrated by the media is an armed, disgruntled employee or client who shoots selectively or indiscriminately at employees, supervisors and managers. However, studies have shown that the real threat workers face is more accurately described by the Workplace Violence Research Institute definition:
Any act against an employee that creates a hostile work environment and negatively affects the employee, either physically or psychologically. These acts include all types of physical or verbal assaults, threats, coercion, intimidation and all forms of harassment.
How common are these less infamous examples of workplace violence? Every workday, an estimated 16,400 threats are made, 723 workers are attacked, and 43,800 are harassed. These figures, from a May 1995 study by the Workplace Violence Research Institute, point out the real dangers, dangers employers cannot afford to ignore. Even if employers weren't concerned with the decency factor, they should be concerned about the cost and lost productivity caused by these acts.
Preventing workplace violence, then, isn't the employees' sole concern, and it isn't just watching out for the disgruntled former worker who might return to work armed with a couple of semiautomatic weapons. Companies must guard against all risks faced by employees. An effective workplace violence prevention program includes physical security, pre-employment screening, good termination practices, employee assistance programs, out-placement and a host of other options.
How serious is the problem?
A number of studies have examined specific areas of workplace violence. The Northwestern Life Insurance Co. found that one out of four full-time workers had been harassed, threatened or attacked on the job, leaving the victim angry, fearful, stressed or depressed. Coworkers accounted for most of the harassment; customers were responsible for additional attacks. The good news: Employers with effective grievance, harassment and security programs had lower rates of workplace violence.Another study, by the American Management Association, found that 50 percent of the companies surveyed reported experiencing incidents or threats of workplace violence in the last four years.
Violence had occurred more than once at 30 percent of the workplaces surveyed. Twenty-five percent reported that the incident was by a current employee; 9 percent reported the problem was caused by a former employee. Forty-two percent of companies that experienced an incident began training programs compared to 18 percent that experienced no incidents. According to 25 percent, the victim ignored the warning signs.
Aside from the danger of violence from workers, former workers and other factors, such as robbery, another growing threat is domestic violence. A 1995 survey of 248 company security directors in 27 states found that domestic violence that spills over into the workplace ranked high on a list of security concerns, and 93 percent of those surveyed said domestic violence is increasing as a corporate issue.
In the case of domestic violence, often what starts at home is completed at work. Spousal assault at work is common. For employees being stalked, the workplace is the one location where the victim can usually be found; employees can change phone numbers and move, but most can't switch jobs to avoid a stalker.
To reduce the possibility of violence resulting from a termination, policies and procedures should be designed to assist those responsible for carrying out this task. Although procedures may vary depending on the type of business, the following items should be considered: THERE'S A SAFE WAY TO FIRE WORKERS
Terminate at the beginning or the end of the shift.
Research of more than 200 incidents of workplace violence revealed that in each case, the suspect exhibited multiple pre-incident behaviors that included the following: SPOTTING VIOLENCE-PRONE BEHAVIOR
Source:Workplace Violence Research Institute
Francescia La Rose, an employee of State Mutual Life Insurance, was shot in the head at her Houston office when her ex-boyfriend entered the reception area where she worked. Her family sued the firm for negligent security because she had told her employer a restraining order was in place and she feared for her life. The suit was settled in early 1995 for $350,000.
In the case of domestic violence or stalking, the potential liability exposure to the employer is often greater because the company is usually aware of the conflict between the employee and the person intent on revenge. Once on notice, the employer should take reasonable precautions to protect the employee and coworkers. Today, most states have anti-stalking laws, although this area of law is so new that the 1990 edition of Black's Law Dictionary doesn't even define the crime.
Many people involved in workplace violence prevention are concerned about recent legislation of a different kind. More than 40 states now have laws making it legal to carry a concealed weapon. Usually after a defined licensing and training process, a license is issued, allowing a person to carry a concealed weapon.
The availability of a handgun in or near the workplace dramatically increases the potential for violence. Employers should review the impact of having armed employees on their property and then develop a written policy on weapons. Most companies prohibit firearms on the firm's property, with job loss as the result of violation.
Entrances to company property and buildings must be posted with a message prohibiting guns on the property. The vexing questions facing employers is how to deal with guns kept in a vehicle parked on company property. Prohibition or allowing weapons in cars creates two separate legal dilemmas, which are best addressed by the company's legal counsel.
Physical security
Despite the fact that most workplace violence is internal, it still makes sense to include security systems and physical security measures as part of the complete approach to combating workplace violence.For example, an employee who has been terminated but failed to surrender his ID badge might pose a threat to the workplace. With an integrated system, if the former employee presents a canceled card to an electronic reader, it will trigger an alarm. The system could also display a stored photo image of the employee to the on-site guard and print out a copy for distribution.
In addition, when the alarm is registered, a nearby closed circuit TV camera is automatically positioned to view the door, giving further information to security personnel.
Although most companies wish to create and maintain a safe working environment, the reality is that most firms can neither afford nor wish to build a security fortress. The control of workplace vulnerabilities, risks and potential losses require a sound and efficient integration of electronic and physical security elements and prevention and employee-care programs.
The first step in including technological improvements to the security program is an assessment of threats, risks and needs. The major shortfalls of ineffective programs are poor planning and failure to define the system's parameters.
In addition to electronic and physical boundaries, many companies rely on security personnel, either proprietary or contract security officers. Again, failure to define the goals for security personnel is the major reason for security inadequacies.
Planning for the crisis
Despite all the best planning, policies and practices, and despite dealing fairly with all employees and having a model prevention program, an incident could happen. What can be done then? Plenty, if employers have planned for it.A crisis response plan detailing the steps to be followed is necessary. A response plan is effective not only for workplace violence, but also for other human-made or natural disasters, such as a chemical spill or an earthquake.
The plan should outline the duties required to respond to a crisis properly. An effective plan involves most departments. Form a team with representatives from all areas within the company that could be affected. This team will design the plan, implement it and, most importantly, test it.
Only plans exercised, revised and remaining fluid are effective. A plan written, put in a binder and never removed from the shelf until an incident happens is dangerous because it creates a false sense of protection. Write the plan, test it, and then continue to test it.
It could happen anywhere
Although some industries and occupations seem more predisposed to workplace violence, no work environment is immune. Incidents have occurred in three-person businesses as well as those employing thousands of workers.In the strange economic times facing American business, a great deal of stress is placed on the employee.
Some of these employees may have the ability and deluded reasoning to commit an act of workplace violence.
Downsizing also places pressure on those workers who remain. These employees are required to complete the same work in the same amount of time as the previous full-strength staff. Additional stress comes from wondering who will be cut in the next round of layoffs.
No company can completely prevent or eliminate workplace violence, but with proper planning and effective programs, the chances of such violent occurrences can be dramatically reduced.
Steve Kaufer and Jurg W. Mattman are researchers with the
Workplace Violence Research Institute in Palm Springs, Calif.
Xerox Massacre
