How Businesses Can Prevent Violence Without Becoming a Fortress

In just three days, three different types of businesses became linked together in a way no business wants for its customers, clients, staff, or vendors. Together, these three businesses are just the most recent business to experience mass violence.

• A dance studio in Monterey Park, CA. 11 dead. Shot to death by a 72-year-old regular patron.
• An agriculture business in Half Moon Bay, CA. 7 dead. Shot to death by a 66-year-old employee with a history of workplace violence.
• A convenience store in Yakima, WA. 3 dead. Patrons inside the store and in the parking lot randomly shot to death by a 21-year-old man.

It can be incredibly challenging for a business to recover from any type of workplace violence. For those that do recover, it can take 3-6 months to overcome the damage to a businesses reputation in the community.

Workplace Violence is Widespread and Impactful

A 2021 survey of small businesses by Zogby Analytics found that:

• Over 33% of small businesses had experienced some form of workplace violence.
• About one-third (32%) of respondents also said their employees expressed fears about violence, were concerned about security, or felt threatened by customers, co-workers, visitors, or the public during working hours.
• 41% said the consequences of workplace violence are becoming more severe in terms of employee morale, retention, and lost productivity.

What Can Businesses Do to Help Keep Their Customers, Clients, Staff, and Vendors Safe Without Becoming a Fortress?

During my 30+ years of conducting civil and criminal litigation investigations, I investigated a lot of cases involving violence that occurred at businesses. Cases involving shootings and death, beatings, abuse, and threats. I’ve also spent over 10 years teaching businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies how to keep their staff, clients, customers, and vendors safe.

• Internal investigations matter. When done properly, they can keep a situation from escalating into violence. Conduct them quickly, thoroughly, and without bias.
• Teach your staff how to implement situational awareness so that they can recognize a potential threat and avoid it. Everyone should have an exit strategy.
• Teach your staff how to de-escalate people and situations that are spiraling before they can become violent.
• Understand the importance of premises security, and also communications between staff. Implement simple steps including better lighting, arranging furniture in the common areas and in work areas with an eye towards safety, and set up passwords and other communication approaches to alert management to threats.
• Teach changing the dynamics of an attack so that staff can force an attacker to recalibrate his attack, allowing the opportunity to get out of there safely.
• Finally, ensure that your staff knows how to defend themselves from an attacker, whether at work, or while out in the community. Lives are saved by people who take action during an attack. Make sure your staff knows how to take action to end an attack.

Make sure to download my FREE workplace safety checklist for specific steps you can take right now to prevent workplace violence. You can also watch my FREE on demand workshop on preventing workplace violence. Finally, if you’d like to learn more about how I can help your business prevent workplace violence and the damage that it can do to your staff, customers, and business reputation schedule a free discovery call here.