6 Steps Employer Should Take In The Event Of Workplace Violence

How can employers make employees feel safe in the wake of a workplace shooting?

How can employers and managers make employees feel safe in the wake of a workplace shooting?
 
Five people lost their lives and five police officers were wounded in a terrifying workplace shooting that took place on 15 of February in Aurora, IL. The perpetrator was a disgruntled employee at the Henry Pratt Company and was due to be fired. 

Workplace violence is a growing concern in this country, from the 2017 Orlando warehouse shooting to the 2016 shooting at a Kansas lawn care company, to the 2016 San Bernardino mass shooting, to the 2015 WDBJ-TV shooting which occurred on-air. These shootings seem to be on the rise, and when acts of senseless violence like these occur, it robs us of a sense of security in our workplaces and beyond.

Here is the outline of the steps that an employer should take in the event of workplace violence:

1. Put emergency guidelines in your handbook. Make sure that your employee handbook offers procedures on how to handle the unthinkable. We have everything from fire drills to tornado drills; we should also have steps in place for how to handle a mass shooting. If possible, you can even discuss these steps with a local law enforcement officer to help to ensure that the best procedures are given to your employees.

2. Offer grief counseling if appropriate. For employees in Aurora, heading back to work on this Monday morning is probably frightening and a bit unreal. It can be hard to forget the aftermath of last week's tragedy and switch back into work mode. A grief counselor can be an invaluable resource when it comes to processing these emotions.

3. Consider offering a limited work schedule. Where possible, allow employees to personalize their own schedules in the week following a tragedy. Maybe it is advisable for the workday to be short and limited. Look for ways to cut stress from employees' plates.

4. Find a project to help bring peace back to the workplace. Whether it's planting a garden, collecting cans for a food drive, or setting up a memorial, find a way to bring a sense of togetherness and community spirit back to the fractured workplace.

5. Keep political talk of out of the office and off social media. This is an important time to remind staff that the office is not the place for political debate, and neither is their social media pages if they interact with clients and other coworkers on these sites. It's not the time to post gun control memes or the time to debate how the President should handle the matter. Focus on healing and unity, not on divisive debates."

6. Ask employees to follow the "see something, say something" motto. Ask your employees to keep their eyes and ears open for anything that might be a sign of trouble. Have an open-door policy and let employees know that they will not be penalized for sharing their fears, even if that fear turns out to be unfounded. We all need to responsible for keeping our workplaces violence-free.