Earlier this month, a troubled employee fatally shot nine people (including himself) and wounded eight others when he arrived to the warehouse where he worked for the last two years. He was there to meet his manager for a disciplinary hearing.

This tragic case is reflective of the startling statistic that homicide is the second leading cause of job-related deaths following vehicular accidents. There are approximately 2 million employees (annually) who are victims of workplace violence. While homicide is an extreme case, workplace violence has been reported to include assault, robbery and rape.

Why Workplace Violence?

Linda Robinson, CPEhr’s Training Manager, cites many reasons for violence in the work environment. These include:

• Pressure and stress of modern life—economic, social, and psychological challenges that can build up over time and drive people over the edge
• Individuals who may view violence as a way to deal with their frustrations and solve problems
• Cultures that tolerate and glorify violence
• Access to weapons

While these are some of the reasons that workplace violence exist, according to Robinson, there are “undoubtedly many other causes that contributes to this act. As an employer, it is your duty to create a safe environment for all employees.” While there is no way of knowing if violence will occur in your organization, here are proactive steps and follow-up intervention items that you can make before violence erupts:

Proactive Steps:

• Address threatening behavior right away
• Review your workplace policy with employees that are causing problems
• Educate your employees to report any disruptive, aggressive or violent acts
• Refer employees that have exhibited violent behavior to counseling (EAP or private)

Follow-up Intervention:

• Monitor the employee’s behavior
• Use progressive discipline as needed
• Assess the violent potential of terminated employees

While intervention is a proactive approach to address violence in the workplace, the number one prevention, according to Robinson, is to define, require and measure professional conduct across all-levels of the organization. This will create an environment that establishes a protocol that sets forth a tone for professional conduct within the workplace. When a professional environment is a part of the culture, employees who are disruptive and/or acting violently will be identified much faster than in a chaotic environment that has no professional standard.