Workplace violence can erupt unexpectedly. While we don’t believe it will happen in our workplace, as of June 13th, 2017, there have been eight workplace killings. Lynne Curry offers five things every employer should be doing:
- Don’t hire danger
- Uncover surprises
- Investigate
- Assess potential threats
Source: Alaska Dispatch News, June 13, 2017.
The many incidences of workplace violence tell every employer that they can’t view it as a random event, but instead must take a proactive stance to monitor potentially explosive workplace situations. Employees, too, have a responsibility to ensure their own safety by promptly reporting all potentially threatening violations of the workplace violence policy to their supervisors. The lives they save may be their own.