case studies

Case Study 1

Violence Catches Company Unprepared

Prior to the 1980s most companies did not have threat management plans for dealing with workplace violence.

Such was the case with a major computer-manufacturing corporation that was forced by two shocking

incidents to develop the full corporate workplace violence program that is now in place.

The first event involved an employee who had been fired from the company some years before. Nobody

understands why, after so many years, the employee decided to re-focus his unhappiness on the company.

However, one day he got into his car and drove to his old building. He drove the car up onto the sidewalk

and into the lobby, jumped out, and shot and killed a security guard. He shot at a few others, killing two,

and then ran upstairs and began shooting randomly. He remained in the building some 6 or 7 hours, essentially holding all the employees hostage while SWAT teams and other negotiators talked with him.

(Eventually, he surrendered. Tried and convicted, he committed suicide in prison sometime later.)

Although company management could scarcely believe that this could be more than an isolated event,

they rushed to put together emergency plans throughout the company. Officials and employees alike were stunned when only three months later a second incident occurred at another location. This person had just been fired and had a particular grudge against the company department which he believed was responsible for his termination.

Many changes were initiated as a result of both these cases. Examples of defensive changes are: extending the protective perimeter by preventing cars from driving up to the building, hardening lobbies by creating a second barrier within the lobby, installing alarms, providing building maps, and putting in place special telephones for use in hostage negotiations. A whole range of contingency plans have now been developed worldwide to help the company cope with either preventing workplace violence or dealing better with its often tragic consequences.

CASE STUDY 2

Former Client Exacts Revenge

On a bright summer afternoon a middle-aged man rode up the elevator of a downtown high rise. He was

toting a black satchel on a dolly similar to the kind lawyers use except that his contained two pistols, a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. This was the day he planned to get even with the firm which had formerly provided him legal counsel.

No one took notice of the man as he strode down the hall to the glass conference room. The people

inside received no warning before he suddenly fired upon them. The gunman continued his rampage, shooting those who attempted to warn their colleagues. He sought out and shot employees who tried to hide and others who were trapped in their offices.

As SWAT teams surrounded the floor his two pistols jammed, and the desperate gunman took his own life with the remaining weapon.

The unsuspecting firm learned a hard lesson: that even the most seemingly sheltered environments are

not immune to violent crime. They have since instituted better access control procedures and improved

internal warning systems among other precautions.

CASE STUDY 3

Small Business Threatened by Former Employee

The partners of a firm never dreamed that a former member of their small family-like business would ever

turn against them.

One afternoon an anonymous caller made a death threat against one of the managers. The recipient of

the call recognized the caller’s voice as a former long-term employee who had recently been laid off by the firm because of a down turn in business.

The police were phoned immediately and began their investigation by contacting the suspected former

employee. The man indicated his despair over the loss of his job and quickly confessed to making the threatening phone call.

Fortunately, intervention occurred before the perpetrator had a chance to carry out his threat.

However, the remaining employees, already in a state of low morale due to the layoffs, were terribly shaken by the incident. Use of sick leave increased and productivity was negatively affected for several weeks following the threat.

CASE STUDY 4

Preparation Pays Off

A major manufacturing company on the West Coast with over 300,000 employees has over the years been developing a coordinated management plan for dealing with workplace violence.

During the incident, one employee shot his lover and wounded another individual before turning the gun

fatally on himself. This incident occurred at a plant where training had recently been received and an action plan developed. Although in this particular case the death and injury probably could not be prevented, at least the planned system for coping with the aftermath worked flawlessly: police were immediately on the scene, next of kin promptly informed, press releases written, the plant closed temporarily, and employees and relatives counseled. Only thorough training and advanced planning could account for the excellent manner in which the aftermath was handled.