In the past, you might have discounted the possibility that one of your employees would commit bodily harm to others. Not anymore - not in the recent wake of violence at schools and places of business throughout the country. Don’t think that your organization is immune to this disturbing trend.

It may be difficult to head off potential problems in this area, but it does not hurt to try. You can start by learning to recognize the early warning signs of violence.

The following is a list of employee traits that should raise your suspicions, especially if a particular employee exhibits several of these characteristics.

• Fascination with guns or other weapons. Simply owning weapons is not necessarily a tip-off, but talking incessantly about them is.
• Evidence of drug or alcohol abuse. Take note of a worker who is habitually out on the Monday following a Friday payday. There is often a correlation between substance abuse and employee violence.
• Severe depression. In some cases, depression turns to anger, which can result in violence toward coworkers. Alternatively, the person may become suicidal. Severe personal stress can have the same effect.
• Threatening actions. Repeated verbal abuse - such as cursing or belittling other employees - can foreshadow an employee’s violent actions.
• Blaming others. When “constant blamers” are backed against a wall, they often lash out at others in anger.
• Violent history. A person who has committed violent acts in the past may be predisposed to this type of behavior.
• Attendance problems. Employees who are often absent for no reason and show no remorse may have related problems, such as drug or alcohol abuse. This may also be the case if the person is continuously tardy or makes excessive demands of his or her manager.
• Decreased productivity. Take note if a person’s work output dramatically decreases for no apparent reason. A lack of concentration could also signal substance abuse.
• Problems with coworkers. Employees who have become loners because they have alienated everyone else at work may become violent.
• Poor personal hygiene. Be wary if a worker suddenly stops caring about his or her appearance.
• Unusual or changed behavior. This may indicate a personal crisis that could lead to violence at work.

Of course, potential problems can be avoided by using strict pre-employment standards - including reference and background checks - that do not violate any legal standards. Nevertheless, there are no guarantees.

Practical advice: Educate your supervisors to recognize the early warning signs. They should report their findings to a crisis management team or another party that can monitor the situation. When it is required, intervention may be able to defuse a potentially explosive situation.

At Lewis, Hooper & Dick, LLC, we offer comprehensive services in human resources. Please contact David Lunzmann at (620)275-9267.

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