Case Study 1

Violence Catches Company Unprepared

Prior to the 198Os most companies did not have threat management plans for dealing with workplace violence. Such was the case with a major computer-manufacturing corporation that was forced by two shocking incidents to develop the full corporate workplace violence program that is now in place.

The first event involved an employee who had been fired from the company some years before. Nobody understands why, after so many years, the employee decided to re-focus his unhappiness on the company. However, one day he got into his car and drove to his old building. He drove the car up onto the sidewalk and into the lobby, jumped out, and shot and killed a security guard. He shot at a few others, killing two, and then ran upstairs and began shooting randomly. He remained in the building some 6 or 7 hours, essentially holding all the employees hostage while SWAT teams and other negotiators talked with him. (Eventually, he surrendered. Tried and convicted, he committed suicide in prison sometime later.)

Although company management could scarcely believe that this could be more than an isolated event, they rushed to put together emergency plans throughout the company. Officials and employees alike were stunned when only three months later a second incident occurred at another location. This person had just been fired and had a particular grudge against the company department which he believed was responsible for his termination.

Many changes were initiated as a result of both these cases. Examples of defensive changes are: extending the protective perimeter by preventing cars from driving up to the building, hardening lobbies by creating a second barrier within the lobby, installing alarms, providing building maps, and putting in place special telephones for use in hostage negotiations. A whole range of contingency plans have now been developed worldwide to help the company cope with either preventing workplace violence or dealing better with its often tragic consequences.