Workplace Guardians Blog

Workplace Violence Prevention

The Important role of Leadership in creating a “Culture of Safety” for your organization.

Workplace violence (WVP) prevention is a challenging and anxiety raising issue for most organizations. Leaders react to this problem in different ways:

• DENY: “It will never happen in our workplace.”
• GAMBLE: “I can’t justify the expense for something that may not happen here” or conversely,
• TAKE ACTION: Some leaders tackle the problem head on and act proactively to create a work environment where grievances and other behavioral issues are not allowed to fester into violence.

Which leader are you? Have you created a culture which emphasizes the importance of a safe, effective and productive work environment? This is what we call a “Culture of Safety”.

Transitioning to the Post-Pandemic Workplace

In March 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, many organizations faced tough choices about the sudden transition to remote work for some or all of their workforce. There were also accompanying challenges of new technology, remote meetings, the need to provide ongoing employee tech and emotional support and the challenge of meeting business objectives within an entirely new paradigm.

Now in early Summer 2021, as the U.S. continues to treat COVID-19 cases, and as vaccinations are ramping up across the country, businesses are facing new decisions about how, when, and even if, employees should return to the workplace.

Here is the truth - wherever two or more are gathered, there will be conflict.

Workplace Conflict. It’s inevitable. In fact, research shows that on average 42% of a manager’s time is spent dealing with interpersonal conflict. If that manager is making $85,000 per year, your organization has lost $35,700 due to conflict, from that manager’s work alone. Conflict in the workplace can occur between two or more individuals, between departments, among leadership and even between your staff and between customers or vendors.

First, let me start by saying thank you. Public Health officials and employees have never worked harder and under more trying circumstances. I know - because I have a front-row seat to some of the challenges you have faced. I have watched my husband, a public health official in Southern California, and his team respond to the COVID-19 global pandemic since January 2020.

More than once, he was awoken by scared and angry voices lashing out at 2 a.m. on a Sunday, and other times he has faced protesters gathered outside his offices, making allegations of corruption or worse. All this while he and his team worked seven days a week for months on end, missing out on family functions and losing sleep.

This has been a challenge like no other for leaders in the public health field – and as such, please know it is completely normal for you and your staff to feel betrayed, baffled, frustrated, angry, hopeless, helpless, and simply sick and tired of all this. While it might be tempting to do so, try not to question what these emotional reactions say about your character or your commitment to your career. These reactions are entirely appropriate and to be expected given what is happening and given what is demanded of each one of you, and your employees, every single day.

After months of working from home during the Coronavirus pandemic, it might be a good time to pause and assess -- where are we? Not only with our physical and emotional well-being, but also, for many, with the transition to working primarily from our homes. We are all concerned about meeting the demands of our jobs and balancing the needs of our families, while grappling with creating and maintaining the habits that will help us achieve both of these things.

Many of us struggle with the feeling we are not managing our jobs and our family relationships and responsibilities as well as we used to, and that even the simplest tasks can feel exhausting. It can be helpful to give context to what we all are experiencing in terms of “threat response” - which is our own biological wiring that helps protect us during a perceived crisis or threat.

The Coronavirus has changed many things about the ways we do our jobs and has created the need for many of us to work from home. In fact, many leaders and employees may be exploring the world of remote work for the first time – and even if they have worked remotely in the past, they may not have done so with as much intensity as the current situation has required.

As leaders, we can feel challenged to balance the need for productivity with maintaining emotional support for our staff, recognizing the challenges and stressors that they are likely facing on a daily basis.

Following is a four-point strategy that we have found useful and may help bring about positive outcomes for leaders and staff alike.

We are back with the third post in our blog series: De-Escalation, Active Listening, Personal Safety and Working Safely in High Risk Environments and with High Risk Populations: A Conversation with Wayne Spees, WGI Executive Consultant. In this final portion of the interview, we talk with Wayne about working with so-called “high risk” populations and the special safety concerns that this may entail.

Blog #3 of 3: Working with High Risk Populations

1. In your experience, what are “high risk populations?”

High risk populations are any group of people or location where acts of violence are not uncommon. If I told you there was a fist fight in a bar for example, you may not find that surprising. The same fist fight occurring in a Sunday church service though would be highly unusual. You could then say a bar is a higher risk environment and its patrons were a higher risk population for violence. Of course, there are many other contributing factors as to

A Conversation with Wayne Spees, WGI Executive Consultant

We are continuing with Part 2 of our blog series, Working with High Risk Populations: A Conversation with Wayne Spees, WGI Executive Consultant. To recap, this series was influenced by employers who need training for their employees who work with potentially angry, aggressive and difficult individuals within the scope of their jobs. In this portion of the interview, Wayne gives his insight and expertise about how to prepare for a potentially violent incident, such as an active shooter event, and what type of training he recommends for the workplace.

Blog #2 of 3: Active Shooter Events and Personal Safety

1. While still statistically rare, active shooter events have been on the rise, and are now a cause for concern among many people. What thoughts do you have about being prepared for any type of violent event that may occur in public, at work or in a school environment?

For the average person, being involved in a violent event would be terrifying. Most people would rather not think about it. As a result, when something like this happens, people tend to go into denial. 

A Conversation with Wayne Spees, WGI Executive Consultant

At WGI, we have noticed a spike in the number of requests for training for active listening skills, de-escalation techniques, active shooter response and specialized safety skills training for those working with “high risk” populations. It’s apparent that many employers are recognizing the importance of providing training for their employees who work with angry, aggressive and difficult individuals that they may encounter within the scope of their jobs, with an eye on safety and potentially decreasing the likelihood of an emotionally charged interaction escalating to violence. 

The Importance of Leadership in Preventing Workplace Violence

Workplace violence (WPV) prevention is a challenging and anxiety raising issue for most organizations. Leaders react to this problem in different ways. Leaders:

• DENY: “It will never happen in our workplace.”
• GAMBLE: “I can’t justify the expense for something that may not happen”
• TAKE ACTION: This leader tackles the problem head on and acts proactively to create a work environment where grievances and other behavioral issue are not allowed to fester into violence.

Which leader are you? Have you created a culture which emphasizes the importance of a safe, effective and productive work environment?

In our experience, leadership is critically important in creating a culture where prevention efforts thrive and are lasting.

Leadership in this case refers to the ability of an organization’s key leaders to create, model and maintain a safe work environment, while culture represents the personality and character of the work environment – the sum of its values, traditions, behaviors and attitudes. With regard to workplace violence prevention, a safe workplace culture is one that prioritizes and communicates the importance of establishing a threat and violence free setting in which employees can effectively do their jobs. And should threats or violence occur, one that ensures that the organizational response is both prepared and immediately able to assess and mitigate any potentially dangerous situation.

“Pop, Pop, Pop”

Over the course of my law enforcement career I have interviewed hundreds of witnesses and victims of shootings. More often than not, I heard the phrase, “At first, I thought it was fireworks.” Why do you suppose people who are hearing gunfire assume it is fireworks? Well, when we are at work or some other place we presume to be safe, we often interpret our experience via what we want to hear – and what makes the most sense in terms of our context and life experiences. For many people, those experiences don’t regularly include the sound of gunfire. So when we hear a “pop, pop, pop” (or something similar), we default to the assumption that those sounds are fireworks. Fireworks means “no one is shooting”. Fireworks means “I’m not in danger”. Fireworks means “everything will be ok.”

In our job as Threat Assessment experts, we frequently go into workplaces where an employee’s behavior has come to the attention of HR or management for being inappropriate, bullying, or downright threatening. And, as a part of the Threat Assessment process, we always inquire about the history of the present concern, and speak with individuals who have been identified as possible witnesses to the behaviors in question. Almost without fail, we also find that the behaviors that are now being investigated have gone on longer than was originally thought, and were witnessed or experienced by individuals, sometimes repeatedly, who never came forward to report the behavior. We’ve even seen this happen in work environments where prevention training has occurred, and policy and reporting expectations for potential workplace violence are made clear to employees. So what gives? 

At a recent meeting of our local chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP), I was reminded that as threat assessment professionals, we have been utilizing multidisciplinary teams for almost 25 years in San Diego County. Together, law enforcement, mental health professionals and local court systems have worked effectively on a variety of threat cases. The common goal? Identifying and intervening in stalking, workplace violence, and other cases where risk to workplace, school and public safety has been present.   

As experts who have traveled extensively to consult and train our clients on workplace violence prevention and bullying, we are often asked “What is the difference between workplace bullying and violence? Where does bullying cross the line?” It’s a great question and one worthy of clarification as we understand and address these types of behaviors in the workplace.

When an employee is threatened, stalked or assaulted, who is the likely person they will first turn to for protection at the workplace? Usually, it’s the most visible defender of an organization – the security professional. Their role in responding to workplace threats is invaluable, and essential to establishing and maintaining a safe workplace for all employees.

In addition to responding to threats in the workplace, security professionals are also a critical part of the team that works to create safety protocols and procedures that help prevent workplace violence. Working together with HR, executive leadership and other key stakeholders, security professionals provide specialized and expert guidance on issues such as  access control, crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) and coordination with local law enforcement.  

But, what if there are even further steps that can enhance the security professional’s role and help broaden their influence with regard to workplace violence prevention? Specifically, what can prepare the security professional (and the organization) to see something, and say something, and do something before something bad happens, and as a result, potentially prevent a violent incident from occurring.

6 Workplace Behaviors to NEVER Ignore

It seems as though the news in the past few years has been full of stories of violent behavior in the workplace, with conduct ranging from harassment and bullying, to shoving, fist fights and stabbings, and in some rare cases, to incidents involving firearms and active shooters. 

The Bureau of Labors Statistics estimates that over 2 million people per year experience some form of violence in the workplace. This begs the question: what can be done to prevent workplace violence incidents, either from occurring or from escalating once the cycle of violent behavior begins?

Did you know that April is designated as Workplace Violence Awareness Month? Or that this is the 6^th year that there has been such an observance?

Don’t feel too bad if you were out of the loop on this news.

I suspect the only people who knew this are people like us – that is, people who obsess about workplace violence prevention, and have devoted their careers to helping leaders keep their workplaces safe.

More good news – because we obsess about this topic, you don’t need to! You can count on us to raise your awareness through solid content and helpful tips, and to keep you informed about industry news and best practices.

An Essential Component of Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

Recently, workplace sexual harassment prevention training programs have made the case for including “bystander” intervention training. Historically, bystander intervention training has been used in elementary and middle schools to address bullying, and on college campuses and in the military in an effort to prevent sexual assault.

Who are “bystanders”, and what role do they play in harassment prevention?

In the context of the workplace, “bystanders” are defined as individuals who observe harassment of others in the workplace, while “targets” are the individuals who directly experience the harassing behavior. Bystanders can include a range of people, including co-workers, managers or supervisors, human resources and union representatives, and other individuals to whom harassment is reported. Co-workers who are informed of violence and harassment through the workplace grapevine can also become bystanders. 

Bystander approaches focus on the ways in which individuals who are not the targets of the conduct 

This blog series addressed 4 behaviors (Annoying, Disruptive, Aggressive, and Dangerous) that can be challenging for HR professionals and leaders to manage. The series provided a number of practical suggestions for intervening in a safe and productive manner to prevent escalation.

So, taken together, what does it all mean?

Policy, training, and vetted procedures are critical factors in addressing and reducing these behaviors. In short, prepare, prepare, prepare.

As we have learned, each of the behaviors discussed in this 4 part series requires a response that is consistent with what we are observing from the employee, and that is also in accordance with organizational policies and procedures.

It is also vitally important to identify who within your organization will lead the charge when such behaviors are reported or observed. For instance, annoying and disruptive behaviors might start with intervention at

In the Wake of Another Mass Shooting: Is Your Workforce Prepared?

Whenever news about the latest workplace or school shooting breaks, as it did yesterday, my first thoughts are probably like yours – something along the lines of “Oh no, how awful,” or, “Not again!”

Then, as more and more details about the shooter and the situation are revealed, my thoughts often turn to “this sounds all too familiar.” While we are still learning about the details of the shooting in Parkland, Florida, I feel compelled to share some thoughts on threat assessment and violence prevention.

In my almost 20 years in the workplace violence prevention field, I have worked side by side with a team of expert threat assessment professionals. I’ve watched them safely shepherd our clients through some pretty scary situations, and I’ve been in the room when they have raised awareness through practical training about preventing workplace violence.

Blog #4 of the series: Managing 4 Difficult Workplace Behaviors

What are Dangerous Behaviors?

Dangerous Behaviors in the workplace are the most severe and concerning of the behaviors described in this series. These behaviors are very frightening, and while occurring less frequently than annoying, disruptive or aggressive behaviors, they can nonetheless turn a “regular” workplace into a both unsafe and terrifying environment.

When we talk about dangerous workplace behaviors, we often see the following:

Making the Case for a Workplace Violence Prevention Program

Many HR Directors and Security professionals are asked by their CEO’s “Why do we a need a workplace violence prevention program? How do we justify the cost of policy development, training and security improvements? Besides, nothing will happen here.”

It’s not surprising that the cost of implementing these types of programs would raise questions, especially in light of the idea that you are preparing for an event that may never happen, such as an active shooter.

In reality, most workplaces can expect to be affected at some point by lower level acts of workplace violence like bullying, fistfights, sabotage or threatening behaviors; and while these are seemingly less severe than an active shooter event, there are nonetheless serious financials risks that the organization could face in the aftermath.

Blog #3 of the series: Managing 4 Difficult Workplace Behaviors

What are Aggressive Behaviors?

Aggressive behaviors generally violate some kind of organizational policy. These behaviors include sexual and physical harassment, threats, intimidation, vandalism, theft, and verbal assaults. They also include threats, stalking and harassment delivered via electronic and social media. These behaviors are disturbing, can negatively impact the mental or emotional well-being of employees, and they can damage the culture of the workplace.

Blog #2 of the series: Managing 4 Difficult Workplace Behaviors 

What are “Disruptive” Workplace Behaviors?

Disruptive workplace behaviors include (but are not limited to) attendance and performance issues, highly emotional and chaotic behaviors, heated outbursts, gross insubordination, lack of accountability for one’s inappropriate behavior, and lower level workplace bullying. When Disruptive behaviors are allowed to continue for any length of time in the work environment, the potential exists for co-workers, supervisors and even executives to feel “held hostage” by the individual and his/her problematic behavior.

How do “Disruptive” Behaviors affect the workplace?

Are You Ready?

As a retired cop of 31 years, I have been around violence most of my adult life. I have seen firsthand what man is capable of against his fellow man. I have witnessed how people react to violence. It is common for people to freeze. It’s as if the brain will not accept what is unfolding right in front of the eyes. Also, under extreme stress our problem-solving skills go right out of the window. I think most people would rather live in denial than to acknowledge violence, especially when it is happening to them

The question of how to prepare an organization to prevent a potential act of workplace violence can be overwhelming for any HR or security professional and the knowing where to begin can certainly be daunting. As a starting point, we often recommend that our clients obtain a copy of the American National Standard, Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention, co-published by the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

The American National Standard emphasizes the role of prevention in creating and maintaining a safe workplace and specifically looks at the role of policy, procedures, resources and safety protocols as being integral to preventing and responding to a workplace violence event. In fact, the American National Standard is considered the “gold standard” in terms of defining both the problem and scope of workplace violence, as well as outlining practical steps that organizations can take to address threats of violence and violent acts in the workplace. This publication is available from ASIS 

Blog #1 of the series: Managing 4 Difficult Workplace Behaviors

What are “Annoying” employee behaviors?

Annoying behaviors in the workplace are just that – behaviors that may seem annoying, distracting and downright irritating, to the point of interfering with other employees’ ability to get their jobs done efficiently and in a productive atmosphere. Examples of Annoying behaviors can include things like difficulties with communication, excessive chatter about personal and non-work topics, attention seeking behaviors, and emotional and behavioral immaturity.

These types of behaviors can obviously create problems, and while it may seem that they often do not “cross the line” with regard to policy violations or evidence decreased performance, they do create difficulties which can impact workplace culture and productivity.

Facing complaints of difficult workplace behaviors can be an uncomfortable, anxiety producing and daunting experience. Many HR professionals are charged with deciding if, when and how to intervene when workplace behaviors become problematic. Unfortunately, troubled, difficult, or disruptive behaviors don’t usually fade away on their own. In fact, left alone, they generally tend to get worse. We have even seen situations where aggressive and even dangerous behaviors are allowed to continue because the culture supports the behavior, or an organization’s leaders are unsure of the right course of action, or are afraid that any disciplinary action might actually escalate what appears to be a volatile situation.     

The Unthinkable

So, you stroll into the office like any other workday. As you sit down at your desk you suddenly hear the sounds of loud bangs down the hall. Your first instinct is to think, “What was that? Were those gunshots?”  It doesn’t make sense to you. Then you hear several more shots, followed by screams. Suddenly you feel sick to your stomach and your heart starts pounding. You can’t believe this is happening, and a feeling of panic overwhelms you. 

Originally posted on December 2, 2016

To be fair, I’ll tell you right now that this is not an anti-media rant. I’m actually a fan of most forms of media, and do believe they can be useful in raising interest and awareness about difficult topics, like workplace and school violence prevention. Of course, there can also be a downside from too much media attention.

The Problem with the Media’s Reporting of Workplace Violence

If you believe that participating in an active shooter drill is the single most important thing you can do for your organization’s workplace violence prevention program, I would say that your planning has been overly influenced by media reports.