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Specialized Workplace Threat Intervention Program
Have you ever thought or said, "We'll be fine," or, "Nothing's going to happen," or,
"We've never had a problem before?" It is very common for individuals to think that
such a tragic incident will never happen to them. Unfortunately, workplace threats
and violence are prevalent today among all types of occupations and employment
levels.
Since workplace violence has increased tremendously within the last few years, we
have responded to this demand for specialized security protection by providing you
with a Hostile Employee Suppression Unit. This special team is comprised of law
enforcement affiliated individuals who are assigned to protect you and your
company personnel. These protection specialists dress in attire appropriate to the
assignment and are authorized to carry concealed weapons. They operate in a "low-
key" manner and are not obvious unless called upon for necessary intervention.
Today, employers cannot afford to not be prepared for any threats or acts of
violence in the workplace. Employers need to protect their employees, attempt to
avoid costly litigation, and maintain the company's credibility. It is imperative for
management to have emergency procedures in place, and to know how to respond
should a threat or violent incident occur.
If you are confronted with a workplace threat or violent situation, or would like to
know how to handle one if it ever arises, we provide a list of certain workplace
threat guidelines to follow, as well as a complete team of professionals to assist you.
Workplace Homicide
Workplace homicide is the leading cause of death among female workers in the US
and is the second leading cause of death for men. According to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS), 856 employees that were murdered on the job in 1997 and of those,
731 (85%) died during robberies. Among those killed during robberies, 46 percent
worked in the retail trade such as convenience stores, gas stations, and fast-food
restaurants. Another 17 percent worked in the service industry which includes taxi
service, hotels, auto repair, and guard services. Of the remaining 15% of workplace
homicides, 10% involved vindictive customers and co-workers, and 5% involved
angry relatives and acquaintances. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
homicide was the second leading cause of death in the workplace following highway
fatalities. Workplace murders accounted for 1 of every 6 fatal occupational injuries.
Firearms were used to commit more than 80% of all workplace homicides. By far,
white males between the ages of 25 and 44 were the victims of workplace homicides
occurring as a result of an armed robbery in a late-night retail setting.
During the same period an average of 330,000 retail employees were victimized
annually. Late-night retail establishments by far had the highest rate of violence. Of
the 107,854 annual business robberies, 67,144 occurred in commercial houses,
28,090 in convenience stores, and 12,621 in gas stations. More than one offender
(43%) committed commercial robberies in contrast with other forms of workplace
violence that only involved one offender (84.7%).
Strangers committed the majority of the workplace violence (59.6%) and most victims
were men (66%). Most of the violent offenders were male (82.9%), white (58.4%), and
over 21 years of age (76.4%).
Public law enforcement and private security guards experienced the most
workplace assaults each year with an estimate of 327,000 simple assaults and
100,000 aggravated assaults
High Risk Occupations
Convenience stores, gas stations, fast-food outlets, liquor stores, and taxi services
have always had a greater exposure to violence because of the nature of those
cash-based, extended-hour businesses. Aside from homicides, we can’t forget
about the 18,000 employees who are non-fatally assaulted every week while on the
job. Similar to homicides, 85% of those employees assaulted worked in those same
high-risk occupation categories.
Office Violence
One can logically understand the violence associated with high-risk occupations.
The nature of the premises and location creates a criminal opportunity for those
desperate for cash. See my webpage on Crime Foresee ability. But how does one
explain the recent pattern that is emerging where seemingly safe locations, such as
private office buildings, are being used as the site for seeking revenge against one’
s enemies?
There is not one single answer to explain why gun violence occurs in office
settings. In high-risk occupations and locations, the business is usually the target
and an employee becomes victimized during the commission of a criminal act. In the
office setting the targets are co-employees and supervisors irregardless of the
nature of the business.
Even though workplace homicides in business offices only represent a small
percentage of the total, it is disconcerting that we can no longer feel safe in an
otherwise safe setting. What makes workers go on a rampage and start shooting
fellow workers is too complex an issue for this single web page. However, most
experts agree that the rage associated with the desire to kill fellow workers was
probably detectable before the incident and was not adequately addressed either at
home or on the job.
Killer Profile
Unlike youthful robbers, workplace killers are usually older, over 35, and have
significant tenure on the job. Almost all are male. Many have been described as
"loners" who have been chronically disgruntled and have had problems with
authority. The killer profile suggests that they never accept blame for their mistakes
and had a tendency to transfer responsibility to others. The profile indicates that
they don’t accept change well and are overly suspicious and sometimes even
paranoid of co-workers. Many workplace killers believed that they were being
intentionally held back from promotion by their incompetent supervisors.
The media would have us believe that these workplace killers were normal everyday
people who just "snapped" one day and then went on a killing spree. Well, it doesn’t
happen that way…people don’t just snap! If they did, there would be a lot more
incidents of workplace homicides. In almost every case following a shooting spree,
investigators were able to identify multiple "red flags" that indicated that the worker
was angry, frustrated, and blamed their victims for their troubles. Some flags seen
in other workplace killers have been a pattern of dehumanizing or objectifying
others through comments, rude remarks, and harassment. These blaming behaviors
are a way of assigning blame to others for one's own shortcomings.
Often the conduct increases in frequency and intensity and includes seemingly
empty verbal threats. Employers should watch for changes in behavior, attendance,
productivity, personal hygiene, and social isolation. Killing sprees usually are the
culmination of many years of unresolved personal problems and mismanaged
stresses. Problems with alcohol and drugs, financial worries, and marriage and
family pressures often aggravated their problems while coping with this fast-paced
society.
Triggers
Most experts agree that there are "triggers" in the workplace that sometimes will
seemingly push the unstable person over the edge. How a company handles the
triggering event can make a difference in the escalation of a potentially violent
situation. Common workplace triggers that might instigate violence are
terminations, layoffs, bad performance evaluations, and believing they were past
over for promotion. It seems that it is the workplace triggering event that often
brings the focus of the aggression against the employer rather than some other
target. However, we have seen rampages where family, friends, and co-workers
were all targeted as if in one clean sweep.
Violence Prevention
Workplace violence experts believe that disgruntled employees need to have an
outlet to vent frustrations and a pipeline to submit grievances to upper levels of
management. They argue that if such an outlet existed then violence triggers would
be more than likely be defused. A problem that we now recognize is that
supervisors are often ill equipped to handle such emotional needs of those they
oversee.
In addition to having knowledge about fair employment practices, discrimination,
and drug abuse, now business managers and supervisors need training on how to
deal with these potential violence triggers. Problematic employees will still have to
be terminated and disciplined, but now more than ever they need to be treated fairly
and with dignity.
Workplace violence will not be a simple problem to solve because it is so complex
and often involves external pressures unrelated to the job. A simple knee-jerk
reaction won’t resolve this problem nor will doing nothing. Metal detectors and
armed guards at all building entrances are too extreme of a solution in most cases
to be socially acceptable. More gun control legislation won’t solve this problem very
soon either. It is recommended that companies adopt a zero tolerance against
employee-to-employee violence in the workplace. Key mangers should be trained to
detect the early warning signs and how to handle them. A system needs to be in
place where complaints are received and investigated. A clearly defined and
articulated workplace violence policy is important, along with a fair and even-
handed discipline procedure for those would don't follow the rules.
Like many other problems we face today, awareness and education is the key to
understanding along with better communication. Meanwhile, corporate America will
be addressing workplace violence in various ways. Some are taking extreme
physical security measures and shoring up their company policies and procedures.
Others are taking the attitude that it won’t happen here and will do nothing. Our
society is rapidly evolving and hopefully we will move past this current crisis.
About two million people in the U.S. are victims of violent crime in the workplace
every year, according to a US Department of Justice and Bureau of Justice
Statistics, National Crime Victimization Study taken between 1992-1996. The
occupations examined included those that prior studies have deemed to be more
vulnerable to criminal victimization.
Workplace Threat Guidelines
You may have been seeing a lot of stories in the media lately about violence in the
workplace. Workplace violence has been increasing at alarming levels within the
last 5 years. And, according to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, of all the
violent crimes committed in the US each year, approximately 15 percent are
committed in the workplace. This represents about 1 million people per year who
are victims of some type of workplace violence.
With these types of statistics, human resource professionals, or any person
involved in employee relations, must be aware of the apparent warning signs that
signal a possible threat or violent situation.
Due to this increase in workplace violence, International Security Services has
formed a special Hostile Employee Suppression Division to assist you with any
possible violent situation. To help you make clear and concise decisions regarding
a possible situation, we offer you the following guidelines:
1. Take any threat seriously.
2. Gather and document any threatening information on subject from co-
workers.
3. Seek assistance Labor Attorneys, and MSI Protective Services.
4. Utilize services to conduct a criminal background investigation on subject.
5. Staff psychologists available to provide threat assessments
.
6. Investigate subject's personal history, i.e. financial, domestic, or drug
problems.
7. Assess subject's potential for violence and any access to weapons.
8. Contact MSI to coordinate our team to assist in separating employee from
company.
9. Assign MSI's Protective Services Team trained in Hostile Employee
Negotiations.
10. Maintain MSI Services for your facility until threat has diminished.
11. Consult with legal counsel and MSI prior to terminating Protective Services
Have you ever thought or said, "We'll be fine," or, "Nothing's going to happen," or,
"We've never had a problem before?" It is very common for individuals to think that
such a tragic incident will never happen to them. Unfortunately, workplace threats
and violence are prevalent today among all types of occupations and employment
levels.
Since workplace violence has increased tremendously within the last few years, we
have responded to this demand for specialized security protection by providing you
with a Hostile Employee Suppression Unit. This special team is comprised of law
enforcement affiliated individuals who are assigned to protect you and your
company personnel. These protection specialists dress in attire appropriate to the
assignment and are authorized to carry concealed weapons. They operate in a "low-
key" manner and are not obvious unless called upon for necessary intervention.
Today, employers cannot afford to not be prepared for any threats or acts of
violence in the workplace. Employers need to protect their employees, attempt to
avoid costly litigation, and maintain the company's credibility. It is imperative for
management to have emergency procedures in place, and to know how to respond
should a threat or violent incident occur.
If you are confronted with a workplace threat or violent situation, or would like to
know how to handle one if it ever arises, we provide a list of certain workplace
threat guidelines to follow, as well as a complete team of professionals to assist you.
Workplace Homicide
Workplace homicide is the leading cause of death among female workers in the US
and is the second leading cause of death for men. According to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS), 856 employees that were murdered on the job in 1997 and of those,
731 (85%) died during robberies. Among those killed during robberies, 46 percent
worked in the retail trade such as convenience stores, gas stations, and fast-food
restaurants. Another 17 percent worked in the service industry which includes taxi
service, hotels, auto repair, and guard services. Of the remaining 15% of workplace
homicides, 10% involved vindictive customers and co-workers, and 5% involved
angry relatives and acquaintances. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
homicide was the second leading cause of death in the workplace following highway
fatalities. Workplace murders accounted for 1 of every 6 fatal occupational injuries.
Firearms were used to commit more than 80% of all workplace homicides. By far,
white males between the ages of 25 and 44 were the victims of workplace homicides
occurring as a result of an armed robbery in a late-night retail setting.
During the same period an average of 330,000 retail employees were victimized
annually. Late-night retail establishments by far had the highest rate of violence. Of
the 107,854 annual business robberies, 67,144 occurred in commercial houses,
28,090 in convenience stores, and 12,621 in gas stations. More than one offender
(43%) committed commercial robberies in contrast with other forms of workplace
violence that only involved one offender (84.7%).
Strangers committed the majority of the workplace violence (59.6%) and most victims
were men (66%). Most of the violent offenders were male (82.9%), white (58.4%), and
over 21 years of age (76.4%).
Public law enforcement and private security guards experienced the most
workplace assaults each year with an estimate of 327,000 simple assaults and
100,000 aggravated assaults
High Risk Occupations
Convenience stores, gas stations, fast-food outlets, liquor stores, and taxi services
have always had a greater exposure to violence because of the nature of those
cash-based, extended-hour businesses. Aside from homicides, we can’t forget
about the 18,000 employees who are non-fatally assaulted every week while on the
job. Similar to homicides, 85% of those employees assaulted worked in those same
high-risk occupation categories.
Office Violence
One can logically understand the violence associated with high-risk occupations.
The nature of the premises and location creates a criminal opportunity for those
desperate for cash. See my webpage on Crime Foresee ability. But how does one
explain the recent pattern that is emerging where seemingly safe locations, such as
private office buildings, are being used as the site for seeking revenge against one’
s enemies?
There is not one single answer to explain why gun violence occurs in office
settings. In high-risk occupations and locations, the business is usually the target
and an employee becomes victimized during the commission of a criminal act. In the
office setting the targets are co-employees and supervisors irregardless of the
nature of the business.
Even though workplace homicides in business offices only represent a small
percentage of the total, it is disconcerting that we can no longer feel safe in an
otherwise safe setting. What makes workers go on a rampage and start shooting
fellow workers is too complex an issue for this single web page. However, most
experts agree that the rage associated with the desire to kill fellow workers was
probably detectable before the incident and was not adequately addressed either at
home or on the job.
Killer Profile
Unlike youthful robbers, workplace killers are usually older, over 35, and have
significant tenure on the job. Almost all are male. Many have been described as
"loners" who have been chronically disgruntled and have had problems with
authority. The killer profile suggests that they never accept blame for their mistakes
and had a tendency to transfer responsibility to others. The profile indicates that
they don’t accept change well and are overly suspicious and sometimes even
paranoid of co-workers. Many workplace killers believed that they were being
intentionally held back from promotion by their incompetent supervisors.
The media would have us believe that these workplace killers were normal everyday
people who just "snapped" one day and then went on a killing spree. Well, it doesn’t
happen that way…people don’t just snap! If they did, there would be a lot more
incidents of workplace homicides. In almost every case following a shooting spree,
investigators were able to identify multiple "red flags" that indicated that the worker
was angry, frustrated, and blamed their victims for their troubles. Some flags seen
in other workplace killers have been a pattern of dehumanizing or objectifying
others through comments, rude remarks, and harassment. These blaming behaviors
are a way of assigning blame to others for one's own shortcomings.
Often the conduct increases in frequency and intensity and includes seemingly
empty verbal threats. Employers should watch for changes in behavior, attendance,
productivity, personal hygiene, and social isolation. Killing sprees usually are the
culmination of many years of unresolved personal problems and mismanaged
stresses. Problems with alcohol and drugs, financial worries, and marriage and
family pressures often aggravated their problems while coping with this fast-paced
society.
Triggers
Most experts agree that there are "triggers" in the workplace that sometimes will
seemingly push the unstable person over the edge. How a company handles the
triggering event can make a difference in the escalation of a potentially violent
situation. Common workplace triggers that might instigate violence are
terminations, layoffs, bad performance evaluations, and believing they were past
over for promotion. It seems that it is the workplace triggering event that often
brings the focus of the aggression against the employer rather than some other
target. However, we have seen rampages where family, friends, and co-workers
were all targeted as if in one clean sweep.
Violence Prevention
Workplace violence experts believe that disgruntled employees need to have an
outlet to vent frustrations and a pipeline to submit grievances to upper levels of
management. They argue that if such an outlet existed then violence triggers would
be more than likely be defused. A problem that we now recognize is that
supervisors are often ill equipped to handle such emotional needs of those they
oversee.
In addition to having knowledge about fair employment practices, discrimination,
and drug abuse, now business managers and supervisors need training on how to
deal with these potential violence triggers. Problematic employees will still have to
be terminated and disciplined, but now more than ever they need to be treated fairly
and with dignity.
Workplace violence will not be a simple problem to solve because it is so complex
and often involves external pressures unrelated to the job. A simple knee-jerk
reaction won’t resolve this problem nor will doing nothing. Metal detectors and
armed guards at all building entrances are too extreme of a solution in most cases
to be socially acceptable. More gun control legislation won’t solve this problem very
soon either. It is recommended that companies adopt a zero tolerance against
employee-to-employee violence in the workplace. Key mangers should be trained to
detect the early warning signs and how to handle them. A system needs to be in
place where complaints are received and investigated. A clearly defined and
articulated workplace violence policy is important, along with a fair and even-
handed discipline procedure for those would don't follow the rules.
Like many other problems we face today, awareness and education is the key to
understanding along with better communication. Meanwhile, corporate America will
be addressing workplace violence in various ways. Some are taking extreme
physical security measures and shoring up their company policies and procedures.
Others are taking the attitude that it won’t happen here and will do nothing. Our
society is rapidly evolving and hopefully we will move past this current crisis.
About two million people in the U.S. are victims of violent crime in the workplace
every year, according to a US Department of Justice and Bureau of Justice
Statistics, National Crime Victimization Study taken between 1992-1996. The
occupations examined included those that prior studies have deemed to be more
vulnerable to criminal victimization.
Workplace Threat Guidelines
You may have been seeing a lot of stories in the media lately about violence in the
workplace. Workplace violence has been increasing at alarming levels within the
last 5 years. And, according to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, of all the
violent crimes committed in the US each year, approximately 15 percent are
committed in the workplace. This represents about 1 million people per year who
are victims of some type of workplace violence.
With these types of statistics, human resource professionals, or any person
involved in employee relations, must be aware of the apparent warning signs that
signal a possible threat or violent situation.
Due to this increase in workplace violence, International Security Services has
formed a special Hostile Employee Suppression Division to assist you with any
possible violent situation. To help you make clear and concise decisions regarding
a possible situation, we offer you the following guidelines:
1. Take any threat seriously.
2. Gather and document any threatening information on subject from co-
workers.
3. Seek assistance Labor Attorneys, and MSI Protective Services.
4. Utilize services to conduct a criminal background investigation on subject.
5. Staff psychologists available to provide threat assessments
.
6. Investigate subject's personal history, i.e. financial, domestic, or drug
problems.
7. Assess subject's potential for violence and any access to weapons.
8. Contact MSI to coordinate our team to assist in separating employee from
company.
9. Assign MSI's Protective Services Team trained in Hostile Employee
Negotiations.
10. Maintain MSI Services for your facility until threat has diminished.
11. Consult with legal counsel and MSI prior to terminating Protective Services
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