Workplace Violence-Your experience and thoughts

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Oh, I once worked as a leasing agent yeeaaaars ago. This girl who was my friend was competitive and we all got commissions on our leases. The person with the most leases each month got extra incentives. I was catching up to her leases and this guy signed with me one day, giving me the "lead" in leases.

She said that was HER lease and she talked to the guy on the phone before I did and she got really mad and violent and threw a stapler at me.

I was shocked. I almost forgot about this, too, but then read concentric's post about the guy throwing files of papers at her. Totally reminded me of this job I had.

I wound up quitting that place shortly thereafter. Very unhealthy place to be with the competitiveness. She's lucky she didn't hit me because then she would have been fired. She didn't get fired... got promoted a few years later, actually. I was gone way before then, lol.
 
I have been bullied at work by two different female supervisors, both at libraries...both made sure we were alone, and then screamed at me...I now know never to go in for a conference alone with a boss....and I left both jobs, because they were so awful to me....
 
nursebeeme said:
I got "work place violenced" by the mailman once! We lived on post in virginia and it was raining out so I clipped my outgoing mail to the underneath side of the mailbox so that it wouldn't get wet... they were bills I was sending in. Around one pm the doorbell rang and I answered the door with my one year old on my hip... there stood the mailman! He was bright red and screaming at me... that it was against mail policy to clip the mail to the lid like this and did I know how wrong of a thing I had just done! He than tells me I am dam lucky that he will even take my mail this time... I stood there with my mouth open... (I am usually a fiesty one! But I was in shock!) When he was about seven or so steps up my walk I slammed that front door so hard it shook the frame of the house! I than sat down and decided that this is what "going postal" must start out like and called the post office to report it.

In this case I have often thought that it went down in this sort of a fashion... that RC got mad about something minor.....something little but that HE was in control of.... and he went into a blind rage....

Sorry for so long of a post (I actually posted my theory in the ray thread, I believe... or could have been motive... it also had the swiping article in it.. how he moved thru the basement)

ETA: I often think about what could have happened to me and my little man that day if I were to have said, "eff off" or something of that nature... It makes me wonder if that is what happened to Annie...
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Wow, that mailman reminds me of the BTK killer!! What a nutjob!!
 
Workplace violence is usually a disgruntled worker, for whatever reason, seeking revenge. We know that does not have to be logical.

The fact that we are all looking at it logically? Well, that won't get it.
 
I've run into quite a bit of work place violence but have worked in some dangerous places where that is expected (clients being mentally disabled) I've been verbally threatened, hit, kicked, spit at, bit, scratched, hair pulled, eye blackened, but it is from the clients and you try not to take it personally like you would if it was the average person you'd work with.

We did have 1 female staff member who was fired for threatning to blow the place up and there was 1 male employee who was just so sleezy no female there was comfortable around him, it was my job to do his performance review and some things needed to be addressed, he was not happy about that and quit not long afterwards.

I no longer work in that field. Now I work with inmates at a jail but only work with a few of them, so far there has only been 1 who I felt threatened by, I had to correct him a few times on things and he did not take very kindly to it, I reported him and he was removed so I didn't have to work with him any longer.

VB
 
No direct experience, but I work for a Fortune 500 company and we have annual training (a video webcast for this one, I think) on preventing workplace violence. At a job before that, a smaller company, we had a policy we had to sign at least once, I can't remember if there was an annual reminder. I'm curious if the research lab had anything like that, a policy in place about reporting smaller incidents or whatever.

I did have one male coworker who was very... intense would be a good word, I guess. I know he was undergoing a contentious divorce with his wife (kids were involved), and I know that a number of people reported difficulties working with him, to the point that he was 'encouraged' to 'leave to pursue other opportunities', which is the polite way of letting someone go without firing them, I guess.

Anyway, he was often yelling and ranting and getting very emotionally involved in things. He was in the cubicle next to mine. It was a small office, and one week there were a couple of days when it was just the two of us in his office. After listening to him getting all spun up and ranting on the phone during the morning, and feeling continually on edge and uneasy, I ended up saying I wasn't feeling well and leaving for the day. I worked that afternoon and the next day at home, after explaining the situation to my boss (who was out of the office on a business trip). I think it was a month or two later that he was let go.

Now, so far as I know he has never had a physically violent encounter in his past or sense, that was just a feeling I got and a precaution I took. On the one hand, I think, "Well, it's not like that I think he's going to attack me or anything, he's just unsettling to be around." But on the other hand, well, maybe a little part of me worried.

But back to the situation here, everything I've heard so far hasn't indicated he was violent in the workplace. I did hear about that encounter with a girl at school. And he was noted for being obsessively neurotic about protocol, but so far I've not heard anything about him punching walls or throwing things or threatening to kill people or anything like that. Maybe something will come out later, but I've not heard it so far.
 
rabidstoat said:
But back to the situation here, everything I've heard so far hasn't indicated he was violent in the workplace. I did hear about that encounter with a girl at school. And he was noted for being obsessively neurotic about protocol, but so far I've not heard anything about him punching walls or throwing things or threatening to kill people or anything like that. Maybe something will come out later, but I've not heard it so far.
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respectfully snipped and bolded...

workplace violence can be homicide (what happened to annie).. some media reports have had quotes by people that worked with him that said he was controlling, and the mouse area was his "fiefdome"... in other words the mouse room was his kingdom and he was the king.

it could be that this was his first actual "incident" of being violent in the workplace... he seemed to have a lot of signs that he could escalate though.. if hindsight were 20/20...

Sad isn't it...
 
What is workplace violence?

Most people think of violence as a physical assault. However, workplace violence is a much broader problem. It is any act in which a person is abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted in his or her employment.
Rumours, swearing, verbal abuse, pranks, arguments, property damage, vandalism, sabotage, pushing, theft, physical assaults, psychological trauma, anger-related incidents, rape, arson and murder are all examples of workplace violence.
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http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/violence_warning_signs.html
 
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/violence_warning_signs.html

there are so many warning signs that I will only link a few that I found consistent here are behavioral signs:

Disregard for the health and safety of others
Disrespect for authority
Increased mistakes or errors, or unsatisfactory work quality
Refusal to acknowledge job performance problems
Faulty decision making
Testing the limits to see what they can get away with
Swearing or emotional language
Overreacting to criticism
Making inappropriate statements


Blaming others for mistakes
Complaints of unfair treatment
Talking about the same problems repeatedly without resolving them
Insistence that he or she is always right
Misinterpretation of communications from supervisors or co-workers
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physical signs:
Red-faced or white-faced
Sweating
Pacing, restless, or repetitive movements
Trembling or shaking
Clenched jaws or fists
Exaggerated or violent gestures
Change in voice
Loud talking or chanting
Shallow, rapid breathing
Scowling, sneering or use of abusive language
Glaring or avoiding eye contact
Violating your personal space (they get too close)
Click to expand...

other signs:

Threatening behaviour
  • States intention to hurt someone (can be verbal or written)
  • Holds grudges
  • Excessive behaviour (e.g. phone calls, gift giving)
  • Escalating threats that appears well-planned
  • Preoccupation with violence
Intimidating behaviour
  • Argumentative
  • Displays unwarranted anger
  • Uncooperative, impulsive, easily frustrated
  • Challenges peers and authority figures
Negative personality characteristics
  • Suspicious of others
  • Believes he/she is entitled to something
  • Cannot take criticism
  • Feels victimized
  • Shows a lack of concern for the safety or well-being of others
  • Blames others for his problems or mistakes
  • Low self-esteem
  • Socially isolated
    • History of negative interpersonal relationships
    • Few family or friends
    • Sees the company as a "family"
    • Has an obsessive involvement with his or her job
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I have had employees stalk and harass me at home, leave threatening voice mails and appear at all hours of the day and night. They were male and being a female boss can make negative interactions tip over into hostile. Now, for the most part the hundreds that I managed did not behave this way, lol. But there are three that stand out in my mind from 20 years of management-one ex military. What intrigued me most was how the various companies handled the employees and me after the incidents-the most outrageous and dangerous behavior I recall was actually rewarded with a transfer. That was a while ago-I suspect now a days he would have been canned with an offer of mental help.

In TX where two of the events occurred, there are conceal carry laws. That was truly our biggest concern; was one of these folks going to stand up and start shooting? Never happened I am thankful to say and several of my co managers thought it was perhaps because they knew someone would shoot back!!! ???
 
nursebeeme said:
http://www.workplaceviolence911.com/docs/20081024.pdf

he seems to fit nearly EVERY ONE of the "unlucky 13 signs of workplace violence" listed above

~~~

He also would most likely have been seen as a high risk employee using these tools designed to help managers recognize a potentially violent employee!

http://www.workplaceviolence911.com/servlets/wpvDoc?action=display&key=1206
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I have not read anything at all that indicate that this guy had any of the 13 signs mentioned above. :waitasec:
Nothing about violence at all.

I still say maybe it was an accident that went very wrong and he handled it badly by not contacting someone.
I know some of you think it is definitely him.
My mental jury is still out on that one. Maybe I want to see the best in someone and I'm still naive ?
MAYBE it just is not him? .

OK I have read more, and more, and there is DNA evidence that it is him.
I still would be interested in the motive.
I am finding it hard to digest this one.
Yes I know looks are deceiving.....But his girl friend seems to think he is a big hearted kind of guy.
Based on that - I have to assume - Accident.
but that is what I assumed right from the start.
 
eyes4crime said:
I don't think it matters one bit where violence occurs or by whom. Murder is murder, rape is rape. We don't address the rape and murder of a woman jogging as a 'jogging rape' or a 'sports rape'. I'm appalled by the minimization of Annie's violent murder - the term work place violence simply tells you where the murder occurred and nothing more. An aspiring woman with her entire life ahead of her and murdered for whatever sick reason - should NOT be put in a category of work place violence. I wonder who in the media is responsible for such detraction and minimization of the murder of Annie? Who started that term?
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Here, here. What seems odd to me is how LE is not just stating that it was WV, but rather aggressively advocating and pushing that interpretation. I mean, yeah, it happened in the workplace, and it was violent, but how does that explain anything?

Police are even speculating what she might have said to "set him off" -- that is just wrong, imho.
 
My first job out of college was in the accounting office at a clothing manufacturer. The first day on the job I was on the teletype machine. Behind me was a guy who worked with the payroll. I was new on the job and didn't know anyone yet. So some random guy came out of nowhere and hit the payroll guy over the head with a hammer. It turned out the attacker was a jealous husband of one of a woman accounting employee who thought that his wife was having an affair with the payroll guy. I didn't see the assault as it happened while my back was turned. The guy ended up being tackled by security. I was interviewed by the police.

The guy ended up pleading and I think he was sentenced to some kind of anger management class. The payroll guy ended up quitting. The poor wife I think may have separated from the jealous spouse.

It was long ago, back in the early 1980s.
 
songline said:
This is a slide show of Raymond Clark with his girl friend.
Seems this guy was "normal" and I still do not get a motive.
here are 10 photos of Clark and his girl friend.
"SEEMS NORMANL" what happened?

http://www.examiner.com/ExaminerSlideshow.html?entryID=579028
Click to expand...

Seems normal is the key. I'm one of those people who believe that pictures and video do not tell the real story. Susan Smith is an example I like to use. She looks like such a loving mom at her son's birthday party. Not long after she sent him and his brother to a watery grave. Ted Bundy has some normal looking pictures as well.

I can tell you when I look back at pics of my childhood, there's not a hint of the horror that was going on.
 
I have experience work place physical and sexual assault twice in my work history. Once while working after hours and out of state executive wanted to assist with inventory of manufacturing. After most everyone had left the manufacturing floor, we started with inventory. While out of site of the door, he grabbed me in a bear hug from behind, proceeded to rub himself against me while kissing my neck. When I struggled and screamed, he pushed me, then punched me in the back. I left the facility immediately and on Monday (this was Friday and thinking about it all weekend), I discussed it with my General Manager. He in kind, contacted the Senior VP and within the day, this executive was fired.

The second experience was about 10 years later. I was in IT and working on a customers software in the lab. I was in the process of a bitter divorce. While working in the lab, the Sales Manager came into the lab and started questioning me about the customers software. When I got up to go to another part of the lab, he grabbed me and started kissing me. He said he knew I was getting divorced and thought I needed some attention. I pushed him off and he grabbed me by the hair, punched me in the head, telling me that I was not superior to him and he could do what he wanted. Once again, I left the building immediately, and contact my Supervisor. The next day, this person's office was cleaned out and I never heard from him again.

kaelee
 
kaelee1, I'm so sorry to hear you had such terrible experiences but relieved to hear that both men were immediately fired.
 
The only case of workplace violence I can remember was overhearing a loud argument between two co-workers. I was working late and only heard the argument, one woman accused the other of getting physical and even though there were no eye witnesses (other than the two women) the accused woman was fired.

OTOH my husband works for the Post Office and he has had several instances of co-workers threatening him. One time I joined him for an off hours going away party and one of his co-workers grabbed me and kissed me (in front of my stunned husband). I'd probably have more stories to tell if I didn't work with a bunch of sensitive artist types.
 
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