Preventing Potential Tragedy in the Work Place

Preventing Potential Tragedy in the Work Place

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Preventing Potential Tragedy in the Work Place

Gun violence appears to be on the increase in the U.S. Sometimes it occurs in the workplace, when employees who are angry with their manager or company resort to violence to settle their scores. But in many cases the perpetrator sends signals of his or her violent tendencies before they erupt, and this should be taken seriously. HR professionals often know a potentially dangerous employee but are wary of taking action without hard evidence. An employer may sustain legal risks by not being able to take steps to keep a workplace safe. The key is to be careful and to make sure that the actions an employer takes are fair and based on facts rather than rumours.

An employer must reasonably accommodate employees with disabilities including those with mental illness and allow them perform essential functions of their job. The American disability organization allows organizations to take action against mentally ill employees if they pose a direct threat to others. The U.S. Equal Employment Act has stated that because reasonable doubt is always forthcoming, an employer is not obligated to justify past misconduct even if it’s the result of the individual's disability.

An employer may be required to undertake a fitness test on his employees to determine whether they are fit for the job. Employers can take steps like auditing their processes, publishing good policies and ensuring all employees are aware of the policies in order to make the workplace safer. It is also lawful to conduct credit and background checks and pre-hire personality checks.

Employers should be vigilant in enforcing policies and should train managers on how to respond to unstable employees. They should be able to resolve workplace conflicts, put in place safe interviewing processes and act decisively in eliminating threats in a workplace. They should not ignore the odd behaviour and balance all interests of the employee. But the primary concern must be the safety of all employees.

Reference

Hoey, B. (2013). Defuse work place violence. Heed Threats and Signals; Be Proactive to Prevent Potential Tragedy, 58(11). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://www.kelleydrye.com/publications/articles/1784/_res/id=Files/index=0/1784.pdf