Among the many hats that managers and supervisors must wear, “counselor,” “personal advisor,” and “shrink” are often listed. But sometimes you may have an employee whose problems are bigger than both of you can handle. Sometimes you have an employee who has problems that can’t be fixed over a cup of café au lait while on morning break. Sometimes you have an employee who has the potential to deal with his problems by acting out violently.
Obviously, the best way to deal with workplace violence is to prevent it. Talk about an understatement! If only it were that easy!
It seems that every day you can pick up the newspaper and read about a troubled employee who became violent at work. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, the workplace is the most dangerous place to be in America. People are shot and killed, injured, and lives are destroyed. What prompts someone to act out this way? Were there warning signs? Is there something we can do to prevent this kind of tragedy?
Now, I have no specific training in dealing with troubled and potentially violent workers. But there is value in recognizing my own limitations. I have had experience with employees who exhibited behavior that concerned me and I knew enough to refer them to the professionals. (There was once the guy in a meeting who pulled a knife with a six-inch blade out of his boot. Oh, don’t worry – he wasn’t going to use it, he just wanted to let me know that he had it!)
Your job as a supervisor is not to perform a clinical diagnosis of the employee’s problem. Your job as manager or supervisor is simply to recognize when patterns of behavior in employees indicate trouble in their lives. Diagnosis and treatment should always be left to the professionals.
Many employees signal that they are troubled through their behavior, statements to other employees, or a decline in their work performance. My advice to you as a supervisor or business owner is to take every threat of violence seriously and to communicate any concerns about employee behavior to a professional trained to handle this sort of thing.
Although there aren’t always warning signs before an employee becomes violent, there are some general behaviors that may be warnings. They are:
- Depressed behavior
- Paranoid behavior
- Recent acquisition of a weapon
- Talking about or posting a clipping of a violent incident in another workplace
- Frequently bashing the company or management
- Chronic or increased absenteeism and tardiness
Managers and supervisors often tell me that they have an employee whom they suspect may have an addiction problem, or may be having marital or financial problems. These behaviors are serious ones that are usually apparent over a period of time – I’m not talking about someone who is just having a bad hair day. Some additional warning signs of this type of problem might include:
- Increased absenteeism/tardiness
- Carelessness, increased errors
- Missed deadlines, lack of interest in work
- Erratic behavior, mood shifts, inability to concentrate
- Frequent complaints about health, or life in general
- Blatant changes in grooming, hygiene, or clothing
- Trouble with co-workers, withdrawal from the team
So what should you, as a manager or supervisor do if you have a troubled employee? Stay tuned for next week’s blog to learn how to act on these issues, how to help, and be fair, consistent, and professional.
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Jennifer Ledet, CSP, is a leadership consultant and professional speaker (with a hint of Cajun flavor) who equips leaders from the boardroom to the mailroom to improve employee engagement, teamwork, and communication. In her customized programs, leadership retreats, keynote presentations, and breakout sessions, she cuts through the BS and talks through the tough stuff to solve your people problems.
