Violence striking the workplace is a nightmare scenario for any organization. Unfortunately, the ugly reality is that these things can and do happen, as has once again been made apparent by several recent workplace shootings, all occurring within one week of each other.
A recent article from BusinessInsurance.com featured an interview discussing some of the primary reasons for these incidents:
Tom Tripp, professor of management and operations at Washington State University in Vancouver and co-author of “Getting Even: The Truth About Workplace Revenge—and How to Stop It,” said that while the odds of a violent act taking place in the workplace are low, factors such as the economy, personal financial stresses, and job stability all play a role in increasing the threat of an outburst. In addition, he said, the shortage of case studies on such incidents makes it difficult to predict who will turn violent.
Do any of these sound like factors that may currently be affecting the vast majority of the workforce? Especially in hard times, crisis management should not be written out of budgets. Training and preparation for these incidents can not only save lives, but also your reputation.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/