Seven people were murdered by a co-worker at a technology company in Massachusetts on December 26, 2000. Four people were killed by an ex-employee of a truck manufacturer at its plant in the Chicago area on February 5, 2001. Violence in the American workplace is unfortunately on the rise. Employers face a myriad of legal and human resource issues in trying to prevent workplace violence and intervene in potentially dangerous situations.
Workplace violence takes many forms.
While the recent tragedies have received the lion's share of media attention, murder in the workplace is extremely rare. Far more common are situations involving verbal harassment or the threat of physical violence. When faced with a potentially violent situation, employers must listen to the complaining employee, carefully and quickly assess the situation and, most importantly, take affirmative action. Employers are overly concerned about the threat of litigation for acting too quickly. This threat exists but is minimal in comparison to the legal and moral risk of not acting in a timely manner.