L 28 Workplace Violence

Question 1

Workplace Violence (Gary Martin at Pratt Plant)

Answer 1

GARY MARTIN – Aurora, Illinois February 2019 – gave many warning signs that he was going to kill lots of people if he got fired, but no one reported the signs or took them seriously. He had a gun illegally as he slipped through the system on many levels.

• Background checks for gun purchases are largely self-reporting and so you can say whatever you want. You may or may not get caught.

Question 2

Workplace Aggression vs. Violence

Answer 2

WORKPLACE AGGRESSION can range from subtle and hidden actions to active confrontations or direct destruction of property.

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE the offender INTENDS to cause serious physical or bodily harm to an individual or individuals within an organization or to the organization itself.

• Workplace violence can be any act of violence or threats of violence, harassment, intimidation, or others threatening disruptive types of behaviors that occur at a workplace
• Workplace violence can involve employees versus visitors, contractors, and other non-employees.
• Could even be the result of non-workplace-related situations – things such as domestic violence and road rage.
• Workplace violence can be INFLICTED by abusive employees, managers, supervisors, coworkers, family members, strangers, even customers.
• On average, approximately 500 work-related homicides occur in the US annually:
  
  • Victims are usually male (4/5 = 80%)
  • Workplace homicide accounts for about 10% of all fatal occupational injuries in the US.

Question 3

Nadil Malik Hasan (Muslim US Army Mass Murderer)

Answer 3

Nadil Malik Hasan – Was an Army psychologist at Fort Hood Texas. In 2009, Hassan fatally shot 13 people and injured 32 others in his protest to being forced to fight in Afghanistan against fellow Muslims.

• Had extremist religious views but he was not charged with terrorism because he acted alone.
• Superior officers failed to recognize how stressed and unstable Hasan had become.

Question 4

Jennifer San Marco (Going ‘Postal’)

Answer 4

Jennifer San Marco – was a postal employee who, in 2006, shot and killed seven people, then herself in Goleta California.

• She believed everyone was out to get her, including the post office itself.
• Had a history of serious mental illness but was still able to buy a gun, which was easy due to the self-reporting style of background checks.
• This case is unusual because mass murder committed by a woman is extremely rare.

Question 5

Workplace Violence: Four Types of Perpetrators

Answer 5

HOMICIDE is the fourth leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the US.

• Accounts for about 10% of all occupational injuries each year.
• Each year, there are 500 homicides that occur in workplaces.
• About 2,000,000 workers are victims of violent workplace crimes each year in the US.

FOUR TYPES of WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PERPETRATORS:

• Type 1 – MOST COMMON CATEGORY – Perpetrator has no relationship to the workplace or victim
  
  • Are generally criminals or terrorists entering a workplace to commit criminal acts.
    • This is the MOST COMMON CATEGORY.
• Ex: of establishments that are frequently victimized in this way:
  
  • Late-night retail establishments such as convenience stores and taxi drivers (motive: robbery).
• Type 2 – Customer / client-related
  
  • Generally involves an angry customer.
    
    • Ex: Someone seeking services is not being treated properly in the eyes of the ‘customer’ – common in health-related facilities as people struggle with illness, injury, or difficulties with insurance and payment.
• Type 3 – Employment-related
  
  • Usually involves disgruntled employees – targeting some individual of authority at the place of employment – typically middle-aged males in the 30s or 40s, about to be fired or laid off.
  • The anticipation of termination commonly can cause feelings of depression and the desire to get even, a feeling that is exacerbated because the layoff process is frequently dehumanizing, with the process itself as stressful as the fact that they’re being fired at all.
  • Human Resources must watch out for the RED FLAGS:
    
    • Individuals who have difficulty excepting constructive criticism.
    • Individuals who are broody over recent humiliating life events like a divorce
    • Those who feel like they’ve been treated unfairly.
    • Those with very poor interpersonal skills, especially with regard to conflict-solving or avoiding conflict.
    • individuals with a past history of violence or volatility
    • Individuals who are extremely impulsive or prone to making threats to others in the workplace.
    • Individuals who have a tendency to raise their voice and intimidate others or lose their temper quickly with other coworkers.
    • Individuals with a history of domestic violence, legal difficulties, or a number of conflicts with other coworkers.
    • Individuals who make unwelcome sexual advances.
• Type 4 – Relationship with an employee
  
  • Women are most likely to be the victims of these – and the relationship goes awry

Question 6

Workplace Violence: Typical Perpetrator

Answer 6

Workplace Violence: Typical Perpetrator:

• Disgruntled employees
• middle-age white males
• Those with few social supports
• Socially isolated
• Seriously depressed
• Have a history of violence or substance abuse
• May actually vocalize violent intentions before the crime

Question 7

Workplace Violence: Location

Answer 7

MOST WORKPLACE VIOLENCE is perpetrated by people OUTSIDE the workplace – associated with property and crimes of opportunities, such as robbery.

• These perpetrators are often intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.
• HEALTHCARE FACILITIES are particularly predisposed to people who are angry due to possibly a perceived lack of care or administrative gridlock, payment issues, and especially LONG WAIT TIMES.
• RESTAURANTS, which are filled with low-paid, stressful jobs, unskilled management, large turnover, and demanding customers – are breeding ground for harassment.

Question 8

Ways to Decrease Workplace Violence

Answer 8

WAYS to DECREASE WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

• Pre-employment screening prior to extending an offer for employment.
  
  • You have to ensure that any clinical diagnosis or psychiatric labeling of the candidate is absolutely avoided
    
    • ​ Any test instrument which could result in revealing a disability is illegal UNLESS testing is administered AFTER a conditional job offer AND the NATURE of the job NECESSITATES the use of such an instrument.
      
      • Ex: police work, workers at a nuclear power plant, those involved with federal law enforcement, air traffic controllers, etc.)
• ​​BE PREPARED with PLANS to deal with incidents that might involve potentially violent employees or customers or other types of crisis situations.
• INFORM EMPLOYEES with regard to how individuals will be disciplined and under what circumstances will they be dismissed.
  
  • Is voluntary therapy an option?
  • Is mandatory medical leave an option in the case of possible psychological distress?

Question 9

Problem Behaviors that Might Lead to Workplace Violence

Answer 9

FBI WARNING INDICATORS of POTENTIAL WORKPLACE VIOLENCE:

• Increasing belligerence
• Ominous specific threats
• Hypersensitivity to criticism
• Recent fascination with weapons
• Apparent obsession with supervisor or coworker or grievance
• Preoccupation with violent themes
• Interest in Recently publicized violent events
• Outbursts of anger
• Extreme disorganization
• Noticeable changes in behavior
• Homicidal/suicidal comments or threats

Question 10

No Sure Way to Predict Human Behavior

Answer 10

There is NO SPECIFIC PROFILE of a potentially dangerous individual, HOWEVER, there are WARNING SIGNS that point to potential VIOLENCE

• The BEST PREVENTION comes from being able to IDENTIFY ANY PROBLEMS (WARNINGS) EARLY on and DEALING WITH THEM BEFORE VIOLENCE OCCURS.