Supervisors should be trained to identify the warning signs of employees who may commit violence. If a problem employee is identified, Human Resources should be notified so appropriate intervention, such as counseling, or even termination, may be taken.
Companies may want to make a list of behaviors that will not be tolerated and will be grounds for immediate termination. An example of prohibited behaviors developed by CMG Associates, a Massachusetts-based consulting group, are: violent or threatening physical contact; direct or indirect threats; threatening, abusive, or harassing phone calls; possession of a weapon on company property or on a job site; destructive or sabotaging actions against company property or personal property; stalking; violation of a restraining order; high levels of conflict of tension within a work unit; and threats of suicide.
Employees should be encouraged to report an employee who they fear because of her or his intimidating behavior.
Human Resources needs to eliminate employee prospects that appear to be potential problems. This is done through various means, including a thorough screening of prospects. The calling of references and previous employers given by a prospective employee should be done. The purpose for doing this is to verify the information on the employment application. Any false information on the application should be cause for concern. If the prospect’s employment history as given on the application shows periods of time in which he was unemployed, more information must be obtained as to why. Did the prospect have the positions with his previous employers that were listed on the application? Would any of his previous employers rehire him? The other important screening function is the interview. The objectives of the interview are to obtain information about the prospect's interests and how he has responded to problem situations in his past employment. This information will help to determine how well the prospect works with others and if any of the warning signs are exhibited.
In some situations, there may be no alternative other than terminating an employee. This would be the case where the problem employee will not stop unacceptable behavior despite having been warned or has committed one of the behaviors on the "not-to-be-tolerated" list. It is very important to treat an employee with respect and not humiliate him during the termination process. The reason for termination should be made clear. If the terminated employee feels humiliated or that he has been unjustly terminated, the desire for revenge may become so strong that he returns to his ex-employer to harm those people responsible for terminating him.
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