E-mail comments, suggestions, or questions to 
president@sittcom.com
and we'll practice what we teach.
Thanks,
Dr. Connie Sitterly
Certified Professional Consultant to Management

A message from Connie Sitterly:

When a good friend's family member was shot three times while at work in a clinic recently, I felt compelled to focus on workplace violence in this issue.* 

Anyone who thinks "it couldn't happen here" or that's somebody else's responsibility," needs more information. 

Workplace violence is pervasive. It is a moral, legal, and business issue.

From this short issue, I hope you gain greater awareness and knowledge to detect signs of instability in co-workers, customers, patients, suppliers or those in our own sphere of influence, and to champion heightened precautions in your workplaces. 

(* Update: That 40+ year old woman is alive in spite of three bullets, one that lodged in her brain. Two of her co-workers were not so fortunate. Could this incident have been prevented? Maybe yes, maybe no. What is clear, greater awareness and prevention might have significantly increased their odds. This issue is dedicated to her, her family, friends, co-workers and every person affected by workplace violence. ) 

"It'll never happen here..."
by 
© Dr. Connie Sitterly 
Certified Professional Consultant to Management

As incidents of violence have increased in our society, so have they increased in our workplaces, resulting in a growing concern for our employees' safety. It's more common than we might like to admit - one out of every four employees was attacked, threatened or harassed at work in the last year. While violence in the workplace costs U.S. companies approximately $40 billion dollars annually, to victims and their families, friends and coworkers, it's priceless. 

Consider the impact of threats, harassment, abuse, intimidation, hitting, pushing, kicking, sexual assaults, stalking, shoving, stabbing, shouting, E-mail abuse, shooting, sabotaging equipment, throwing files or tools on morale, productivity, innovation, potential liability, and the impact on the victims, their families and coworkers who either witnessed the event, or support the one targeted. 

Angry over a suspension, an employee in Chicago shot at his manager, missed, but killed the person who tried to intercede. An upset employee stabbed his manager because he disagreed over how some paperwork was to be completed. 

Upset over losing a promotion or termination, numerous shootings have resulted. The number two cause of work-related death in the U.S. is homicide. Twenty employees are murdered each week at work. Everyday there are four workplace homicides and 18,000 workers are physically assaulted every week. Homicide in the workplace is the fastest growing form of murder demonstrated by the rate that has doubled in the past 10 years. In the U.S., 17 million employees are assaulted each year, and more than 6 million threatened with bodily harm. 

Why is violence on the rise? Violence seems to dominate media in movies, news, games, toys, television. From "talk shows" that guests throw chairs to cartoons, violence is pervasive. Stress, economic pressures, and poor management may also contribute to the increase. Consider the news stories on any day about violence in our workplaces, schools, even churches. Bombings in New York City, Oklahoma City, Colorado, a gunman opened fire in a Fort. Worth, Texas church, another in a clinic, diner, ........and children shooting children continues. 

Violence breaks families and communities. If it takes a village to raise a child, we need to take individual responsibility to make our 'villages' i.e.,- work, church, clinic, schools - safe to conduct business, worship, heal, and learn. 

Too Little-Too Late 
Domestic violence and disgruntled employees are two factors which have contributed to increasing work-related deaths. For women, it's the number one cause of work-related death and ranks second only to vehicle accidents for men. Many women who are killed at work, following a domestic dispute, die at the hands of someone who didn't belong on company premises. An ex-postal employee, who had been fired months earlier for stalking a female coworker, returned to the post office and fatally shot a carrier and wounded a clerk. A husband stabs his wife in a parking lot .... more acts of violence. 

For organizations, how to prevent violence from occurring and how to respond appropriately are key issues. No organization is immune... from the school cafeteria, mailroom, telephone company, fast-food restaurant, chicken plant, shipping dock, law firm, yogurt shop, courthouse steps, day trading firm, church, government buildings, shopping malls or parking lots- incidents have occurred. The greatest danger is denial- believing it "couldn't happen here." 

To assess what actions could be taken, answer the following questions yes, no, or need more information: 

Q: Do you and your managers/supervisors know how to : 
1. Identify troubled employees before the problem results in violence, assess and diffuse situations? 
2. Recognize the causes, warning signs, and effects of workplace violence? 
3. Protect your workplace, coworkers , customers and yourself? 
4. Fulfill responsibilities and minimize liability and disruption? 
5. Respond to a crisis, 
6. Know who and when to call for help internally and externally? 
7. Select, terminate, counsel, investigate, and document effectively? 
8. Implement prevention training, plan, policies, and procedures? 

Q: Does your organization...
o take appropriate security measures? 
o provide telephone hot lines, guidelines and escorts for working on nights and weekends, extra lighting in parking lots, employee assistance programs, policies that prohibit objects, knives and guns on company property? 
o train supervisors and managers and employees on workplace violence, sexual harassment, conflict resolution, and related topics? 

Q: What extra security measures are needed at your workplace.? 
Q: What will you recommend or implement? 

A true story of what not to do:

Should Know Better
While conducting a training session in a manufacturing plant, an employee entered class with his new six inch hunting knife, engraved with the company's name. When I asked him where he got it, he said management was passing them out to any employees who wanted them. Management had intended to give them as safety awards, but since the safety goal had not been achieved, management announced that employees could line up to receive a free knife. 

Squeaky Wheel Gets Greased 
In a clinic, an irate patient begins shouting threats in the waiting room, demanding to be seen. What does the clerk at the front desk do? Invites him back. No policy, training, or plan in place, she didn't know what to do. Most U.S. companies lack a plan to deal with crisis of violence in workplace. 

Leaky Roof Syndrome 
When it's not raining, we don't think about fixing the roof. When water drips we think about it, then wait until it stops raining to repair, but since it's not raining...... 
The woman with three bullets, one to her brain had asked management several times to take additional precautions. 

Managers may have the 'leaky roof syndrome' when it comes to taking initiative to take preventive measures for the safety and well-being of their employees and organizations. Symptoms of the leaky roof syndrome include comments such as: 

o "it couldn't happen here" 
o "we're considering it" 
o "that's somebody else's job." 
o "nothing has happened since I've been here" 
o "they're just having a hard time" 

Workplace violence plan and training are the best prevention, but like insurance, too many organizations don't like paying the premiums until after an incident. Best managers know that prevention is cheap when you consider the alternatives.

Prevention is Better Than Correction

If the answers to any of the preceding questions were "no" or "need more information," we hope you will contact us for additional assistance.

©Connie Sitterly, all rights reserved, 2001 

Connie Sitterly, Ed.D 
Certified Professional Consultant to Management 
Management Training Specialists 
TRAINING DIVISION OF SITTCOM, INC. 
P.O. Box 470695
Fort Worth, TX 76147
817 737-2893

Management Training Specialists

Over the past 18 years, MTS has developed and presented award winning programs for over 350 businesses, organizations, government agencies and universities in four countries. A full-service customized consulting / training provider, MTS focuses on workplace and personnel issues including diversity, harassment, conflict, communication, service, teaming, and workplace violence. 

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