We're Missing Something

We’re missing something. 

When it comes to preventing workplace violence, collectively, we’re missing a major sea change within our society. One that directly impacts employee safety. In fact, this change is the driving force behind much of today’s violence, both in and out of the workplace.

I hate to bring up a difficult truth, one we’d all like to avoid. But, without a frank and honest discussion about what has become a major contributor to workplace and community violence, we’re not going to be able to keep employees safe. 

Schools are workplaces. Teachers and staff work there. Students go there. People just going about their day in a normal way, doing what they do. Until suddenly, it’s not normal, and lives are forever. shattered. 

Yet again, students and teachers were killed and wounded for being right where they’re supposed to be.

This piece isn’t about guns. Obviously the dad should never have given a high powered rifle to his kid, when he knew the FBI and police had previously investigated his son for making threats of violence against another school he had attended. The father deserves the charges that were filed against him. 

Nothing Happens in a Vacuum

The NY Times described the shooter’s family as being in “turmoil” and having experienced “turbulence” with drugs, criminal charges, financial problems during the year prior to the shooting. And there are also reports that the kid was bullied at school.

This turmoil in no way justifies or excuses what this kid did. And ditto for bullying. Plenty of people go through similar experiences and shoot no one. 

But, nothing happens in a vacuum.

And the changes in our society that make workplaces left safe, have developed and thrived within this turmoil. It’s where grievance and the belief that one is entitled to whatever the hell one wants, regardless of the consequences, that take root.

And before we get on to that. This piece is not about “hardening targets” that too many politicians, the same ones who offer their thoughts and prayers as if they matter, like to call for as a way to address workplace and school violence.

Schools already provide more security than most workplaces do. They prohibit guns, have metal detectors, security cameras, security guards, many have a police presence, and many conduct active shooter and other incident response drills. 

None of that prevented this violence.

Look, no one’s safety should be at risk because of where they work, where they learn, where they shop, where they eat, where they ride transportation, where they get medical care, or where they get any type of help, from others, for any reason.

That’s why I work with employers to implement effective workplace violence prevention programs. It’s why I’ve created my free California employers workplace violence prevention checklist. 

A Cultural Sea Change

So what’s going on here that’s different? Why, despite all of the heightened awareness, is workplace violence, including school violence, continuing to be such a major problem in our country?

I believe, it’s because we’ve experienced a cultural sea change. And I don’t know if this change can be undone.

Grievance, combined with a sense of entitlement, is now the driving force behind both workplace violence and societal violence. And much of this has to do with the loss of the sense that each of us is part of something bigger. It’s now every person for himself.

And because of this me first belief, consequences are irrelevant. So any perceived slight, real or imagined, creates free rein to harm others as payback. With no thought to the damage their own response will cause.

It’s not just kids at school. Here’s just a few of the times this change has spilled over into other workplace violence incidents too:

•  A retired law enforcement sergeant travels across country and goes into a restaurant and bar on family night, and opens fire killing 3 and wounding more just because his ex was there.
•  A Walmart night shift supervisor walks into the break room and guns down co-workers because they had complained about the way he supervised them.
•  A lawyer shoots another lawyer and that lawyer’s wife during a deposition taken as part of a child support case.
•  A restaurant customer in downtown LA physically attacked employees of the restaurant because he didn’t get served fast enough.
•  A Department of Transportation employee was shot and killed by a driver because the driver was pissed off over traffic delays from construction.

And this list doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. Everyday, grievance and entitlement driven violence is impacting workplaces clear across the country.

I don’t know why or how this change has occurred. I believe that social media, idolization of the wrong people, politics, a lack of role models, and growing isolation, all have something to do with this cultural change. 

Regardless, where it comes from matters less than recognizing that this new normal exists, and adapting workplace violence prevention approaches to address it.

Adapting Workplace Violence Prevention to Address This New Normal

The reality of this new normal is that it can impact all four source types of workplace violence. Yes, it surfaces with co-worker (or student) violence, but it happens with invitee violence, community violence, and most definitely with domestic related incidents that spill over into the workplace.

Employees need to be trained to expect that grievance, entitlement, and the belief that violence is an acceptable response to a perceived slight is the new normal. Training should:

•  Focus on reading other people’s body language.
•  Focus on recognizing a safety threat before the threat has fully materialized. 
•  Focus on improving communication skills.
•  Focus on teamwork and building a sense of community.
•  Focus on understanding how quickly a situation can turn to violence.
•  Focus on implementing communication approaches and the buddy system.
•  Focus on ensuring your employees can defend themselves when necessary.
•  Focus on ensuring that your employees know how to change the dynamics of a situation where violence has been initiated.

To learn more about training your employees in strategies to avoid physical harm that will help to keep them safe despite this cultural sea change.