One reason that researchers have found for this is a sense of betrayal. At home, the employee accepts responsibility for the safety and security of his or her family. This same person believes that as an employee, the employee has a duty to provide a safe work environment. So when a violent incident occurs in the workplace, employees consciously or unconsciously feel let down. Loyal to the enterprise erodes.
Morale drops sharply and the sense of belonging vanishes.
The turnover process begins. Content and dedicated employees perform their jobs better than unhappy workers. Employees seeking new jobs are focused on new opportunities, not their current positions. While varied with the position, training costs for new employees are substantial and the ramp-up time effects productivity. In each case in which the Institute has conducted post-incident research, surviving employees, estates of those killed and injured third parties have filed multiple civil actions against the firm where the incident took place.