The definition of workplace violence is a “any act of harassment (including sexual harassment), intimidation, threat, rape or homicide that takes place at a victim’s place of  employment.”  When the statistics for workplace violence are looked at, it is easily understood why workplace security is rapidly becoming a problem for many organizations.  The situation that provokes workplace violence does not necessarily have to start in the workplace or and the act of violence does not necessarily have to happen in the workplace for organizations to be concerned.  Many organizations are just learning that violence can occur anywhere at anytime and they must be prepared to cope with the situation.  This means they must take a look at their preparedness and decide what they need to do to not only increase preparedness but also to understand what procedures they do day to day that might affect a potentially violent situation.  Organizations need to ask tough questions as to their hiring procedures,                     termination procedures, and security procedures.  In today’s society, this increases from the aspect of global terrorism and how well are they prepared for the potential of a terrorist attack.  Security in the workplace will continue to be a concern but by following specific procedures and processes the risk of a situation happening can be significantly reduced.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39914/3/wp529.pd

Capozzoli, Thomas K.

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The Organizational Model for Workplace Security

This Article addresses the issue of workplace violence, focusing on the United States and potential terrorist actions in the workplace. The Author begins with an organizational model for workplace security, describing the types of workplace violence, and the factors that may trigger violence. The Article continues with a description of the common behavior traits that violent workers possess, and also describes the  cycle  ultimately leading to workplace violence. In looking more closely at the common types of workplace violence and the characteristics of those who commit workplace violence, the Author provides an organizational model for reducing or preventing workplace violence. The Article concludes that until the workplace has both trust and participation, workers must be prepared for violence

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Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law Volume 36 Issue 3 May 2003 Article 4 2003 The Organizational Model for Workplace Security Thomas K. Capozzoli Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vjtl  Part of the Labor and Employment Law Commons Recommended Citation Thomas K. Capozzoli, The Organizational Model for Workplace Security, 36 Vanderbilt Law Review 781 (2021) Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vjtl/vol36/iss3/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Vanderbilt Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law by an authorized editor of Scholarship@Vanderbilt Law. For more information, please contact mark.j.williams@vanderbilt.edu. The Organizational Model forWorkplace SecurityThomas K. Capozzoli*ABSTRACTThis Article addresses the issue of workplace violence,focusing on the United States and potential terrorist actions inthe workplace. The Author begins with an organizational modelfor workplace security, describing the types of workplaceviolence, and the factors that may trigger violence. The Articlecontinues with a description of the common behavior traits thatviolent workers possess, and also describes the "cycle" ultimatelyleading to workplace violence. In looking more closely at thecommon types of workplace violence and the characteristics ofthose who commit workplace violence, the Author provides anorganizational model for reducing or preventing workplaceviolence. The Article concludes that until the workplace hasboth trust and participation, workers must be prepared forviolence.TABLE OF CONTENTSI. THE ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL FOR WORKPLACES ECU RITY ....................................................................... 782A. Types of Workplace Violence .............................. 782B. Organizational Factors that may TriggerW orkplace Violence ............................................. 782C. Behavior "Typologies" of PotentiallyViolent Employees ............................................... 783D. The Cycle of Violence .......................................... 784II. THE ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL FOR REDUCINGOR PREVENTING VIOLENCE ............................................ 785III. C ONCLU SION .................................................................. 786* Dr. Thomas Capozzoli received his Ed.D. from Ball State University, Muncie,Indiana and is presently Interim Director of Purdue Programs in Kokomo, Indiana. Heis also am Associate Professor in the Organizational Leadership department. Priorcoming to Purdue he spent 30 years in industrial management.782 VANDERBILTIOURNAL OF TRANSNATIONAL LAWI. THE ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL FOR WORKPLACE SECURITYWorkplace violence is a growing concern in the United Statesand even in other countries. Workplace violence is any act ofharassment (including sexual harassment), intimidation, threat,rape, assault, or homicide that takes place at the victim's place ofemployment.1  Any act of destruction of property can also beconsidered an act of violence. 2 According to the U.S. Department ofJustice, homicide is the second leading cause of fatalities in theworkplace, and murder is the number one cause of death for femalesin the workplace. 3 Each year, there are approximately 1.5 millionphysical assaults, more than 7 million threats, and more than 20million cases of harassment in the workplace.4 These numbers maybe low because of underreporting by organizations.A. Types of Workplace ViolenceThere are three types of workplace violence:" Type One-the violent situation originates in the workplace andthe violence occurs in the workplace.5* Type Two-the violent situation originates in the workplace butthe violence occurs outside the workplace.6* Type Three-the violent situation originates outside theworkplace but the violence occurs in the workplace.7B. Organizational Factors that may Trigger Workplace ViolenceThere are several factors that may trigger violence in theworkplace:* Autocratic Management-In this enlightened time, managementhas done several things to attempt to decrease autocraticmanagement, but the fact remains that there are still autocraticmanagers. 8  There are also management practices thatemployees still perceive to be autocratic when, in fact, they are1. U.S. Dep't of Justice, National Victim Assistance Academy: Chapter 22Special Topics, sec. 5, Workplace Violence, at http://www.ojp.gov/ovc/assist/nvaa/chapter22_5.html (last visited Feb. 19, 2002) [hereinafter Dept. of Justice Report].2. Id.3. Id.4. Id.5. THOMAS CAPOZZOLI & STEVE MCVEY, MANAGING VIOLENCE IN THEWORKPLACE 28-26 (1996).6. Id. at 26.7. Id. at 26-27.8. Id. at 32-34.[VOL. 36:'78120031 ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL FOR WORKPLACE SECURITY 783not.9 Personality factors also enter into this factor when conflictsbetween employees and managers exist.1 0* Disciplinary Action by Management-Discipline in organizationsis necessary at times. However, if an employee perceives thatthe discipline is unjust or unfair, they may react in a negativemanner.* A Negative Appraisal-Evaluation of employees is a necessaryfunction of management, but often the evaluation is perceived tobe unfair. Many times managers are not taught the propermanner in which to evaluate employees or to deliver theappraisal in a manner that will not be offensive to an employeeeven if it is a negative appraisal.1 1* Lack of Support from an Employee's Superior or Workgroup-Often employees feel as if they are an island in the workplace,and that the person they report to is not supportive of theirefforts or results. Often this extends to an employee's workgroupwhen they isolate the employee from the group.* Change-Change is a fact of life in organizations. However,change may be difficult for some employees and often the changeis not handled well by management. Employees often feel theyare victims of change rather than change being beneficial forthem.* Downsizing-Organizations often feel that the way to get costsback in line is to reduce the workplace. Downsizing, orrightsizing as it is sometimes called, is nothing more thantermination of an employee or group of employees. 1 2 Employees,particularly long-term employees, have difficulty facing the factthe organization is not loyal to them and will perceive thetermination to be punishment.13C. Behavior "Typologies" of Potentially Violent EmployeesAlthough there are no characteristics common to all violentpeople, there are certain traits and behaviors that are typical amongperpetrators of workplace violence:* They tend to be white males from 30 to 50 years of age. 1 4 Otherethnic groups do commit workplace violence-as do women-butwhite males seem to be the dominant group.15" Hypersensitive to criticism. 1 6  People who commit workplaceviolence do not take criticism well and they tend to respondnegatively to it.9. Id. at 35-79.10. Id. at 35.11. Id. at 75-77, 106-11, 127.12. Id. at 81.13. See id. at 82-84 (discussing employees' emotional reactions to downsizingannouncements).14. Id. at 50.15. Id.784 VANDERBILTJOURNAL OF TRANSNATIONAL LAW" Overvalue power and control. 1 7 They want control of their owndestiny and they tend to want to control every situation. Losingcontrol of a situation may make them very angry to the pointthey cannot control themselves.* May depend on symbols of power. 1 8 Many workplace violenceperpetrators collect guns or some other power symbol, and theywill probably brag about the collection they have." They highly value their job. 19 Often, they over-identify withtheir job and if they are loners, the job becomes the single mostimportant thing in their life. If the job is threatened or lost theybecome highly upset.* A violent past.2 0  Most, but not all, workplace violenceperpetrators have some violence in their past. Domestic violenceor being cruel to animals are some of the ways this violence hasbeen demonstrated.* Believes his fate is in the hands of others. 2 1 Workplace violenceperpetrators feel they have no control over their lives and theywant to get their revenge because others have controlled them.D. The Cycle of ViolenceBefore the perpetrator decides to commit the ultimate act,whatever it may be, they go through the following cycle:* The "trigger" event. 2 2 There are usually several events thatlead up to the violent act. The employee may complain aboutthese events without acting on any one of them, but does allowthem to accumulate. Then there is the final "trigger" event, theone that may put the employee over the edge.* The reaction. 2 3  After the final "trigger" event occurs, theemployee will have certain kinds of thoughts that have beenpredisposed by his personality." The emotional response. 2 4 The employee will react with anger,hate, or blame.* The behavior. 2 5 Most employees will do nothing because theyhave the emotional stability to control their behavior. There are16. Id. at 51.17. Id. at 55.18. See id. (describing certain employee warning signs such as the collecting offirearms).19. Id. at 54.20. Id. at 55-56.21. Id. at 56.22. Id. at 23-24; see also id. at 51-52 (describing propensity of "asocial type" tointernalize series of events; id. at 69-70 (offering similar discussion with regard tosubstance abusers).23. See generally id. at 49-71 (discussing typologies and their varying reactionsto trigger events).24. Id. at 23-29.25. Id. at 49, 70-71.[VOL. 36.'78120031 ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL FOR WORKPLACE SECURITY 785some who will react violently because they do not have the ability tocontrol themselves.II. THE ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL FOR REDUCING OR PREVENTINGVIOLENCENot all violence can or will be prevented. If we knew how toprevent violence, we would have done so in society long ago. Thereare no absolutes when it comes to violence, but there are ways thatorganizations can reduce, and in some cases prevent, a violentsituation from happening:" Review hiring procedures. Most employees are hired byinterview, which is probably the worst way to hire people. 2 6 Theinterview should not be the sole method used to hire people. If itis the only method used, train the personnel being used for theinterviewing with the proper procedures and methods to conductan effective interview. Never utilize low-paid, untrainedpersonnel to interview prospective employees.* Screen potential employees. 2 7 When it is appropriate, testingshould be done. Do a drug screen and do a background check.An interesting statistic is that almost one in five potentialemployees lie about criminal records among other things.2 8" Review all layoff and termination procedures.2 9 Be sure allpersonnel who may have the authority to terminate employeesare trained in the procedure. If employees are terminated, apolicy on retraining or outplacement may be warranted." Create a crisis management team.3 0 All organizations shouldhave a team of individuals including the top manager, securitymanager, human resource manager, general counsel,maintenance personnel, and other designated persons tofunction as the crisis management team.* The crisis management team will be responsible for creating acrisis-management plan.3 1  This plan should include theresponsibility capability of the organization to a violentsituation; a plan to contain a violent situation; evacuation plans;plans for liaison with law enforcement; and plans for the post-event.26. See id. at 100-02 (discussing the popularity of interviewing as hiringmethodology and its many disadvantages with respect to preventing workplaceviolence).27. Id. at 98-99.28. Work Safety is a Priority, P.R. NEWSWIRE, Oct. 15, 2001, at LEXIS, NewsLibrary, News Group File (indicating that 19% of applicants lied about their criminalrecords).29. CAPOZZOLI & MCVEY, supra note 5, at 103-06.30. Id. at 113-16.31. Id.786 VANDERBIL TJOURNAL OF TRANSNA TIONAL LA W* The crisis management team will also be responsible for creatinga threat-reporting system that includes a company policy onthreats as well as a process for threat investigation.3 2* All managers and supervisors should be trained in how to de-escalate a potentially violent situation, and they should knowwhat their responsibilities are when a violent situationhappens.3 3  They should have interpersonal relationshiptraining in such things as conflict management, communication,change management, counseling and disciplining employees,addressing harassment of employees, and performanceappraisals.A process should be put in place for dealing with the threat ofdomestic violence in the workplace. 34 All employees should bemade aware of the signs of domestic violence and what should bedone in reporting it. Victims of domestic violence should bemade aware of the steps that the organization will take toprotect them, as well as the steps they can take to protectthemselves.III. CONCLUSIONOne of the first statements heard from people who have beeninvolved in a workplace violence situation is, "I didn't think it wouldhappen here. '3 5 Workplace violence can and will happen to anyorganization-none are immune. All organizations must take stepsto prevent workplace violence situations from happening. Whether itis harassment, homicide, or anything inbetween, organizations areresponsible for taking the appropriate steps to make sure it doesn'thappen.32. Id. at 113-14, 119-22.33. Id. at 127-29; see also id. at 116-19 (discussing the importance of hostagebehavior training); id. at 122-23 (discussing the importance of dispute resolutiontraining for managers).34. Dep't of Justice Report, supra note 1.35. Id.[VOL. 36.:781

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