Workplace violence is one of those nightmares that you hope is contained where there is only an attempt or minor injuries. Far too often our worse fears area realized and an employee is seirously hurt or killed. We see the headlines and shake our heads, and then we go on to the next time. We try to understand the cause for workplace violence, but some many factors come into play anymore,there is no real way to isolate one reason from another.
In one recent instance of workplace violence, reported on KTVU.com, a workplace feud got overheated and ended up with a shooting. In another case, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a former employee went nuts at a Penske Trucking facility and shot one person to death and injured three others. Reports were the shooter and ex-employee was “disgruntled.”
According to the Workplace Violence Research Institute, Workplace Violence costs employers cose to $40 billion, annually. Factor in the concern for human safety, injuries and loss of life, and it is a monumental concern. Liability issues and litigation can devastate a company as can all of the publicity. All around, it is a terrible thing.
Background checks may not be the sole answer, but they can go along way in weeding out the undesirables. One caution. Often in a criminal database report, the employer will see that there has been sexual or physical violence committed. Anything from assault on. Often these cases are shown as misdemeanors or even citations, which are tickets. This can be misleading. Very often these cases start out as felonies and for the convenience of the court system, they are plea bargained down to lesser charges. The defendant cops the lesser plea, gets his hand slapped, and the process moves on.
This is especially true with domestic issues. After the outburst, the defendant apologies, promises it will never happen again, and the assaulted party, the spouse, the girlfriend, whomever, relents. We have seen this in celebrity cases as well as the everyday Joe’s. We saw this recently in the case of Chris Brown and his assault on Rhiannon. She relented and charges were reduced. Brown ended up with a slap on the wrist.
As an employer, you are not as concerned with the final disposition as you are with potential endangerment in the workplace. Here wee order the county criminal records to see what the initial charges were and if they were reduced. Because often the case was much more severe than the final results may show. So when running background checks and when violent cases arise, ask for the the definitive county criminal records. Then you will have a better idea what type of employment candidate you are dealing with.
Check them out before you hire.
