Workplace Guardians Blog

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.

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.

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.