Retaliatory Workplace Violence

Can it happen on your watch?

As a CEO, violence in the workplace is something we hope to never, ever face. However, here’s the fact: Retaliatory Workplace Violence (RWV) is on the rise and no industry is immune.

Retaliatory Workplace Violence can happen in any workplace. It can happen in factory settings, administrative offices or parking lots. And sadly, it can happen in schools and on college campuses, just as it did on Friday, January 12, on the campus of the University of Alabama Huntsville when professor Amy Bishop walked into a staff meeting and began firing.

While at first this may have seemed like a random occurrence, the story quickly unfolded to prove otherwise. Bishop was unhappy that she’d been denied tenure. She had a sad and very unfortunate background with offenses dating back at least 24 years. Unfortunate, because apparently a lot of people saw the warning signs and just let it go.

Can it happen on your watch? The answer is, yes, it can.

So what can you do to prevent this? For the answer, we turned to our client, American Behavioral Benefits Managers, www.americanbehavioral.com, and their expert in Critical Issue Stress Management (CSIM), Sandy Capps, MA.

Capps’ recommendation: Watch for the small stuff. Attendance, performance and conduct is a good place to start, as is noting one who constantly touts education and intelligence… click here to read the entire article by reporter Patricia C. McCarter, for The Huntsville Times.

Watch Panorama Crisis 911 for more on this subject soon.