Workplace Violence

On Saturday a worker at P.F. Changs in Peabody stabbed a colleague in the back as they worked in the kitchen. The previous week two journalists were shot by an ex-colleague whilst on air in Virginia. Both examples of workplace violence, in two very different work environments – one blue collar, one white collar. Whilst workplace violence resulting in fatalities are statistically rare, they demonstrate that despite our individual best efforts to avoid violence, there are situations where we may be forced to share space with individuals who possess harmful intent towards both us and/or the organizations/groups we belong to. The two incidents of violence cited, illustrate some very different components and motivations, which show how complex and involved the subject of workplace violence is.

Both parties involved had a history of failing to deal with their anger issues; Jaquan Huston, the chef who stabbed his co-worker at P.F. Changs was due to start an anger management course in a few days. Vester Lee Flanagan II (Bryce Williams was the on-air name he used), was a reporter who had been fired two years previously, from the station at which his victims worked. He had a work history in the TV industry, which showed that he rarely stayed more than a couple of years at any one station or company – often leaving on bad terms, and suing his former employers, and/or emotionally exploding during termination interviews. If viewed individually each incident could be explained as a one-off, however if viewed collectively, a pattern can be seen. The problem is that when a company hires such an individual they aren’t looking at their resume as reflecting a potential pattern of aggressive and violent incidents but instead look on each change of job from the perspective of the candidate’s professional career e.g. did they change jobs or leave a job because it wasn’t challenging enough or because they wanted to progress their career in another direction, not because they were let go after a couple of years because nobody could or wanted to work with them etc.

It’s unlikely if references were checked, before or after interview, that anyone asked questions concerning personal safety issues. More than likely the questions asked related to their ability to perform the job i.e. were they a good reporter, and by some accounts he was. The News Director at San Diego 6, reported that “He was a good on-air performer, a pretty good reporter.” If somebody was looking for a reference concerning his abilities to do the job, that’s not a bad reference to have, and of course that’s what the focus of any job interview is – the ability to do the job. It’s extremely difficult for an employer to get a complete and accurate overview of a prospective employee’s sociability and ability to fit in to a workplace environment; individuals who suffer from anger-management issues may be the greatest and most fun to be with individuals, until something causes them to get angry. It is likely that either Vester Lee Flanagan, or Jaquan Huston presented themselves at interview, in a way that made them seem like the ideal candidates for the job.

This inability for information that could be used to predict violence to be passed on from employer to employer, is something that also happens in the school system, and allows for potential school shooters to go through the system unnoticed, even though there are predictive indicators that show that they are emotionally unstable and psychologically volatile. After the Columbine shootings, many teachers referred to incidents, pieces of artwork, and essays that the shooters had written and completed, which had disturbed them and given them cause for concern, during their time at the school. The problem was that when they moved up a year, this information wasn’t passed on to their new teachers – each one was getting a snapshot, rather than a history of their behaviors. After the event, it was easy to collect all the pieces of evidence together and gain a complete picture of these troubled individuals, however each new school year they effectively started with a clean slate. When this is coupled with a strong dose of denial e.g. school shootings happen at other schools not this one etc. any predictors that may be evident are discounted or denied. Schools unlike different employers do have a chance to join the dots and see patterns in a person’s behavior, however this information has to be collected, collated, shared and passed on so that patterns can be identified, and intervention can occur.

If references were taken seriously and followed up, and the right questions asked, a similar history could be gleaned by prospective employers, however much of this would rely on other employers doing the same thing (and references having to include the candidates last employer). If when following up on employment references an employer asks about the references that were used for that individual to get their previous job, such information could have the ability to be passed on. If all employers asked questions concerning personal safety, then a person’s character may be better judged. If in an interview a candidate is asked to give examples about the types of situations that anger and upset them, then a clearer picture of their character and behaviors may be gleaned; people with underlying anger issues are usually very quick to give examples and will talk at length about the injustices they have experienced from previous employers. Vester Lee Flanagan, believed whether rightly or wrongly that he was discriminated against for being black. A potential employer who asked him about those things which upset and angered him would probably have been provided with numerous examples of injustices and the way he dealt with them, if only they had added a “personal safety” component to their interview process.

Stabbing someone requires an assailant to be in an extreme emotional place as well as perceiving they have no alternatives but to act in this – Huston felt justified in stabbing his victim, telling his mother that he was threatened and ‘did what he had to do’. Asking a candidate to provide examples of what they would do in situations where there were disputes or disagreements, will quickly show which individuals can come up with a number of alternatives that could solve a dispute, and those who fixate on being right and avoiding blame. This section of an interview does not have to be long, but it should take place, if we are to avoid such situations in the future.

In both Vester Lee Flanagan and Jaquan Huston’s lives and careers there were signs and signals that these individuals had difficulty dealing with their emotions, however neither of the employers got to see the full picture of this, until it was too late – to what extent they tried is unknown. Would both of these individuals have gone on to commit acts of violence, had their respective companies refused to hire them, possibly/probably, however both companies would have at least taken seriously their responsibilities to create a safe working environment for their employees – and ultimately this is something that every company should do.