Avoiding workplace violence

The workplace shootings this past December at Edgewater Technologies Inc., in Wakefield, Mass., sent a chilling message to members of the IT community: High-tech workplaces are not immune from workplace violence. Many IT workers are asking themselves, if it happened there, could it happen at their offices?

1. Understand the numbers and the impact

Violence at the workplace is decreasing, according to the Employment Policy Foundation, in Washington. Even so, one incident of violence can be devastating to employees, their families, and the company as a whole. Researchers at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, Texas, estimate that each violent incident costs an employer $5 million, on average, in lost employee work time and subsequent lawsuits.

2. Understand the root causes

The cause of workplace violence is a result of interaction among three things, says Lynne McClure, president of McClure Associates, a consultancy on workplace risks, in Phoenix. Workplace violence can result when a high-risk employee -- one that solves problems through violence -- works in an organization that enhances stress factors, and undergoes a life-altering or "last straw" event. Everyone experiences stress, loss, or illness at some point in their public or work lives. All but a few people weather these storms without resorting to violence, McClure says.

There is growing pressure to administer tests during the hiring process, or later for existing employees, but not everyone wants to leave fate to a written test. "I think there are very few tests that are accurate as predictors," says Ellen Bayer, a representative for the American Management Association, in New York. "Managers simply need to stay in touch with employees."

3. Heed the warning signs

McClure has identified eight types of behavior that may help company's identify a high-risk employee.

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