A day trader killed nine employees and wounded others at two Atlanta brokerage firms. Last year we saw too many situations where an employee was fired or angry about criticism, gets a gun, walks into the workplace, and starts shooting. This year, workplace violence hit close to home for me. In March a former employee of a carwash in Dallas killed five of his former coworkers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported that in 1997, employees killed more than 100 supervisors and coworkers.
Violence is the leading cause of death of women in the workplace.
According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management, workplace violence increased from 1996 to 1999. Yet at a time when we are all concerned about the rise in workplace violence, the FCRA is tying the hands of employers who attempt to protect their employees. Many times employers recognize signs of illegal activity in the workplace or signs of potential violence yet under current law the FCRA impairs employers from taking appropriate action. This is unwise. These limited activities include drug use or sales, violence, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, job safety or health violations, criminal activity including theft, embezzlement, sabotage, arson, patient or elder abuse, and child abuse.