by Joy Dike, PhD

"I'm so mad I could kill someone."

Have you ever heard someome say something like this at work? 

Listen, workplace violence is a serious issue, and threatening behavior in the workplace is not something to take lightly. The FBI indicates that there is no profile or litmus test that exists to demonstrate whether an employee might become violent. There are, however, some problem situations that may give rise to violence – personality conflicts between coworkers; mishandled termination or disciplinary action; weapons at the worksite; or drug or alcohol abuse at the worksite. Other risk factors are personal but spill over into the workplace – the breakup of a marriage or romantic relationship; family conflict; financial or legal problems; or emotional problems.
 
It is well documented that individuals rarely snap and engage in workplace violence without first exhibiting behaviors of concern. Knowing and reporting these behaviors of concern is just as important as understanding the problem situations and risk factors that often precede behaviors of concern. Such behaviors of concern could include depression, threats, menacing behavior, erratic behavior, aggressive outburst, offensive conversation, jokes referring to violence, increasing tardiness, increasing absenteeism, worsening relationships with coworkers, decreased productivity, homicidal comments, increasing belligerence, hypersensitivity to criticism, and verbal abuse. Of course any of these behaviors alone is not necessarily more suggestive of potential workplace violence, but many of these behaviors taken together should raise warning flags. 

Let's revisit the person who yelled, "I'm so mad I could kill someone!" Is this a threat that should be taken seriously? The answer really lies in the collective past behavior of the individual making the threat. Let's say this particular person has been increasingly tardy to work, has showed a marked decrease in productivity, and has regularly shown up to work disheveled. In this case, yes, this threat should be taken seriously. 

Having a risk management plan that incorporates workplace violence is an important part of keeping your employees, clients, and place of business safe. Make sure people understand what behavior your expect from them and how to detect erratic and threatening behavior.

by Joy Dike, PhD

Maybe you have solid policies and procedures in place for security. You may even have a dedicated security director and security staff onsite. In fact, you may even have daily communication from your security team. That gets you an A+ score in our books.

With what said, the question is how can you improve your security management?

In the legendary words of Spinal Tap, "Where can you go from there? What do you do if you need that extra push over the cliff? You put it up to eleven." 

Indeed. Let's work on ramping up your security plan to an 11. There's always room for improvement. 

How can you do this? The answer is by having an outside security consultant audit your plan, procedures, and policies on a regular basis. This may mean an annual audit, or it may mean an audit once every 3 years or every 5 years. Whatever your budget and schedule calls for, make a plan to have your program assessed on a consistent timetable.

Familiarity breeds complacency. Complacency breeds risk. Even if your security plan is A+ 10 out of 10, failing to evaluate the program regularly will lead to complacency, and eventually risk will creep back in. 

Pat yourself on the back for a job well done with solid security management, and then turn it up to 11 and have someone audit you.

by Joy Dike, PhD

To learn more about what it looks like to have a risk assessment done for a school, read this Education Sector Case Study.

by Joy Dike, PhD

​Children spend almost a third of their day at school on a school day. Add in sports and extra-curriculars for the older grades, and some students spend more than half of their waking hours at school on a school day. With schools being the primary place children spend their time, isn’t it crucial that these are safe places where parents, students, faculty, and staff feel secure and are prepared for possible emergencies?
 
Any child in school, right down to little ones in preschool, will have drilled a fire evacuation plan at some point in the school year. Fire evacuation plans are vital, but a school’s emergency plans should not stop there. The unfortunate fact is that youth violence and school violence are real features of today’s world. While active shooter events at schools like Sandy Hook, Columbine, Umpqua Community College, and Virginia Tech are routinely sensationalized by the new media, the truth is that school associated violent deaths are rare. With that said, school violence that includes things like threats, attacks, fighting, bullying, and weapons on campus is a serious issue that schools need to address and mitigate. And while school associated violent deaths are rare, it behooves school administrators to have an Emergency Action Plan in place for the unthinkable scenario that an active shooter does enter the school or campus. Schools should have an Emergency Action Plan that includes lockdown procedures, evacuation procedures, off-site mustering procedures, and emergency names and numbers. Most importantly, an Emergency Action Plan should be drilled regularly.

If you are a parent of a child in private school, ask your school's administration if there is an Emergency Action Plan in place. If your child is in a public school, you too have the right make your voice heard and advocate for a safer school. Don't assume an Emergency Action Plan is in place - ask about it and advocate for it on behalf of your children and their teachers.

We can't stress this enough - a plan is only as good as the level of practice and understanding your employees have of it.

We have assessed many businesses and schools that have impressive Emergency Action Plans complete with an active shooter plan, off site muster locations*, and intelligent mass notification procedures. However, our dialogue with teachers or employees often uncovers the fact that they have no idea what to do in the event of an emergency or active shooter, they've never drilled the Emergency Action Plan, and they have never actually seen the full Emergency Action Plan document. All the muster stations in the world won't help if the people meant to run the muster stations don't know it's their job!

Consider this scenario: there is a bomb threat at your school and, according to your Emergency Action Plan, Ms. Smith is tasked with getting all fourth graders to the offsite muster station. Ms. Smith, however, has never seen the Emergency Action Plan and has no idea that she has a special role. She doesn't even know that there are offsite muster locations. Is this Emergency Action Plan any good? Again, a security plan is only as good as the level of practice and understanding the employees have of the plan.

If you have an Emergency Action Plan, you need to make sure your employees:

• know about the plan 
• understand the plan
• know their specific role in the plan
• PRACTICE the plan 

by Joy Dike, PhD 

Is there an emergency notification list clearly displayed in your place of work?

If an emergency were to occur, who would you call?

If there were suspicious behavior occurring, what would you do? Who would you contact?

If there were damaged equipment that made your workplace unsafe, who would you contact?

If there were risks to you safety, what would you do? Is there a clear chain of command for reporting risks? 

Most likely there is a fire evacuation map located somewhere prominent in your place of work. There should also be a list of people to call in case of an emergency; this list should be posted somewhere easily seen, and this list should be clear as to whom to contact under various emergency circumstances. A solid emergency notification list might include:

• 911
• Local Police
• Local Sheriff
• Local Fire & EMS
• Nearest ER
• Energy/Electricity Supplier
• Natural Gas Supplier
• Water Supplier
• Department Head/Supervisor

These are the basics and starting points for a solid emergency notification list. Different industries will need to add other contacts like OSHA, EPA, District Principal, School Principal, maintenance, etc.

If your place of work doesn't have a list like this, speak up and ask for one. It's important!

by Joy Dike, PhD

by Joy Dike, PhD

Workplace violence is an unfortunate reality in today’s world. Domestic violence spilling over to the workplace, sexual harassment, physical violence, intimidation, threats, and disruptive behavior all occur at the workplace. It is well documented that workplace homicides are in decline, but other forms of workplace violence such as harassment, physical fighting, and verbal abuse are on the rise. In addition, active shooter incidents and mass shootings are on the rise.
 
Employers have a legal and ethical obligation to provide a workplace free of threats and violence. So what can you do to address the issue of workplace violence at your place of business? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Understand that workplace violence is more than just an armed gunman in the building. Workplace violence also includes threats, intimidation, harassment, and violent behavior.
• Understand that some situations are more likely to bring out violence – mishandled termination, the breakup of a marriage, drug or alcohol abuse.
• Understand some of the behaviors that are warning signs – increasing belligerence, worsening relationships with coworkers or bosses, aggressive outbursts.

• Know your rights as an employee for a safe work environment. Know your obligations as an employer to provide this to your employees.
• Have a physical security survey and assessment done of your premises.
• Create a risk management plan and put it into effect.
• Contact a physical security and risk consulting firm to discuss how security professionals can guide you through this process.

 
There must be support from the top of a business or organization if there is going to be any meaningful action taken to address workplace violence. It is important to understand that here is no one-size-fits-all strategy to this issue. Each business, each organization, each campus or location will have different risks associated with it and thus require a unique plan. 
 
Read Here for a more in-depth look at workplace violence. 

by Joy Dike, PhD

Workplace violence is an unfortunate but important topic that all employers and employees need to consider. The issue of violence in the workplace has been addressed by OSHA, the CDC’s NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), the FBI, the DOJ, and the National Center of Victims of Crime. According to OSHA, workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening or disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site.
 
The news media sensationalizes workplace violence episodes like the Fort Hood shooting, the shooting of a Virginia news crew during a live broadcast, the shooting at Chattanooga military facilities, or the Washington Navy Yard shooting. These are tragic and alarming episodes, yes. The truth is, however, that the majority of workplace violence employers and managers have to deal with on a daily basis runs more along the lines of domestic violence, harassment, emotional abuse, and threats - not armed gunmen. 
 
Workplace violence causes ripple effects in terms of costs to the American economy. The Department of Justice estimates that workplace violence costs the American workforce over $30 billion annually; the FBI further explains this loss to include lost work time, lost wages, reduced productivity, medical costs, workers’ compensation payments, legal expenses, and security expenses. Beyond these tangible costs, workplace violence also creates anxiety, fear, and a climate of distrust in the workplace.
 
It is well documented that individuals rarely snap and engage in workplace violence without first exhibiting behaviors of concern. Knowing and reporting these behaviors of concern is just as important as understanding the problem situations and risk factors that often precede behaviors of concern. Such behaviors of concern could include depression, threats, menacing behavior, erratic behavior, aggressive outburst, offensive conversation, jokes referring to violence, increasing tardiness, increasing absenteeism, worsening relationships with coworkers, decreased productivity, homicidal comments, increasing belligerence, hypersensitivity to criticism, and verbal abuse. Of course any of these behaviors alone is not necessarily more suggestive of potential workplace violence, but many of these behaviors taken together should raise warning flags.
 
Continue to follow this blog as we look at how an Emergency Action Plan can help you address workplace violence.  

by Joy Dike, PhD