Case Studies and
Practice Exercises
These case studies have been prepared to provide specific risk and threat
factors for examination and to create useful learning tools. They are intended
to provide assistance to organization planners as they develop workplace
violence prevention programs and assess their readiness to handle these
types of situations. The characters in the case studies are fictional and have
been created for educational purposes. No reference to any individual, living
or dead, is intended or should be inferred.
99
Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery
, Case Studies
Introduction The call comes in.
Someone’s being stalked – two employees get into a shoving
match – a woman flees a violently abusive mate – a
sometimesdisoriented employee keeps showing up at coworkers’
homes – a supervisor’s constant abuse infuriates a subordinate –
an employee in a fit of rage destroys company property – a fired
employee makes a direct threat.
These are just a few examples of the types of incidents that can happen
in the workplace.
How each employer responds to these reports will differ, not only among
different organizations, but sometimes within the same organization,
depending upon the circumstances of each situation. Even in
organizations with highly structured, well-thought-out procedures in
place, the handling will have to depend on:
• The nature of the incident;
• The circumstances surrounding the incident;
• Who is available to respond;
• Who has the skills to deal with the particular situation.
What has been learned from many years of experience in the American
workplace is that the most effective way to handle these situations is to
take a team approach, rather than having one manager, function or
office handle situations alone.
Not using a team approach is laden with problems. In some cases of
workplace homicide, it became apparent that the situation got out of
control because human resources managers did not inform security
about a problem employee, coworkers were not warned about the
threatening behavior of an ex-employee, or one specialist felt he had to
“go it alone” in handling the situation. Also, presenting all cases to a
team to consider lessens the chance that one person’s denial of reality
could result in a failure to act.
100
Workplace Violence
, A team allows for the linking of multiple disciplines and experience-bases
for use in the examination and management of potentially dangerous
circumstances. Where available, management, human resources,
employee assistance program, security, union, legal, and psychological
service representatives should be considered for inclusion on the team.
In cases where the full range of resources are not part of the organization,
outside consultants are often pre-identified and join the team when
critical cases are being handled. This would typically be the case in smaller
organizations without in-house attorneys, psychologists, security
personnel, or threat management professionals.
Employers should have plans in place ahead of time so that emergency
and non-emergency situations can be dealt with as soon as possible.
However, it is also necessary to build the maximum amount of flexibility
possible into any plan.
Basic Concepts Since organizations and situations differ, a list of specific steps or
procedures to follow in all workplaces would be inappropriate and
impractical. However, there are some basic concepts that all employers
should keep in mind when formulating a strategy to address workplace
violence:
• Respond promptly to immediate dangers to personnel and the
workplace.
• Investigate threats and other reported incidents.
• Take threats and threatening behavior seriously; employees may not
step forward with their concerns if they think that management will
dismiss their worries.
• Deal with the issue of what may appear to be frivolous allegations
(and concerns based on misunderstandings) by responding to each
report seriously and objectively.
• Take disciplinary actions when warranted.
• Support victims and other affected workers after an incident.
• Attempt to bring the work environment back to normal after an
Forming the incident.
team’s approach
For any kind of team to work well in actual tasks, be it in sports or crisis
management, it is important that the team develop its approach to
common situations. In all teams, including those formed to lead
organizations’ responses in situations involving workplace violence,
training and group practice are key factors to real-world success. It is
important that a workplace violence management team discuss possible
situations and workable solutions before being assembled for actual
101
Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery
, situations. This allows for coordination and feasibility issues to be
worked out in advance.
How to Use the Case their readiness to handle these types of situations. The characters in
Studies the case studies are fictional and have been created for educational
purposes. No reference to any individual, living or dead, is intended or
should be inferred.
As you read the case studies keep in mind that there is no one correct
way to handle each situation. The case studies should not be taken as
specific models of how to handle certain types of situations.
Rather, they should be a starting point for a discussion and exploration
of how a team approach can be instituted and adapted to the specific
needs of each organization. A successfully used alternative may not be
useful in other instances, and there are probably several different
approaches that could be equally useful. Each group in its discussions
should strive to identify several workable approaches.
The case studies are intended to raise questions such as:
1. Do we agree with the approach the employer took in the case
Questions for discussion study?
2. If not, why wouldn’t that approach work for us?
3. What other approaches would work for us?
4. Do we have adequate resources to handle such a situation?
Establish a system to evaluate the effectiveness of a response in actual
situations that arise so that procedures can be changed as necessary.
Questions for program Ask the following questions after reviewing each of the case studies and
evaluation after planning how your organization would respond to the same or a
These case studies have similar situation:
been prepared to
provide specific risk and 1. Does our workplace violence prevention program have a process
threat factors for for evaluating the effectiveness of the team’s approach following
examination and to an incident?
create useful learning
tools. They are intended 2. Would our written policy statement and written procedures limit
to provide assistance to our ability to easily adopt a more effective course of action in the
organization planners as future, if an evaluation of our response showed that a change in
they develop workplace procedures was necessary?
violence prevention
programs and assess
102
Workplace Violence
Practice Exercises
These case studies have been prepared to provide specific risk and threat
factors for examination and to create useful learning tools. They are intended
to provide assistance to organization planners as they develop workplace
violence prevention programs and assess their readiness to handle these
types of situations. The characters in the case studies are fictional and have
been created for educational purposes. No reference to any individual, living
or dead, is intended or should be inferred.
99
Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery
, Case Studies
Introduction The call comes in.
Someone’s being stalked – two employees get into a shoving
match – a woman flees a violently abusive mate – a
sometimesdisoriented employee keeps showing up at coworkers’
homes – a supervisor’s constant abuse infuriates a subordinate –
an employee in a fit of rage destroys company property – a fired
employee makes a direct threat.
These are just a few examples of the types of incidents that can happen
in the workplace.
How each employer responds to these reports will differ, not only among
different organizations, but sometimes within the same organization,
depending upon the circumstances of each situation. Even in
organizations with highly structured, well-thought-out procedures in
place, the handling will have to depend on:
• The nature of the incident;
• The circumstances surrounding the incident;
• Who is available to respond;
• Who has the skills to deal with the particular situation.
What has been learned from many years of experience in the American
workplace is that the most effective way to handle these situations is to
take a team approach, rather than having one manager, function or
office handle situations alone.
Not using a team approach is laden with problems. In some cases of
workplace homicide, it became apparent that the situation got out of
control because human resources managers did not inform security
about a problem employee, coworkers were not warned about the
threatening behavior of an ex-employee, or one specialist felt he had to
“go it alone” in handling the situation. Also, presenting all cases to a
team to consider lessens the chance that one person’s denial of reality
could result in a failure to act.
100
Workplace Violence
, A team allows for the linking of multiple disciplines and experience-bases
for use in the examination and management of potentially dangerous
circumstances. Where available, management, human resources,
employee assistance program, security, union, legal, and psychological
service representatives should be considered for inclusion on the team.
In cases where the full range of resources are not part of the organization,
outside consultants are often pre-identified and join the team when
critical cases are being handled. This would typically be the case in smaller
organizations without in-house attorneys, psychologists, security
personnel, or threat management professionals.
Employers should have plans in place ahead of time so that emergency
and non-emergency situations can be dealt with as soon as possible.
However, it is also necessary to build the maximum amount of flexibility
possible into any plan.
Basic Concepts Since organizations and situations differ, a list of specific steps or
procedures to follow in all workplaces would be inappropriate and
impractical. However, there are some basic concepts that all employers
should keep in mind when formulating a strategy to address workplace
violence:
• Respond promptly to immediate dangers to personnel and the
workplace.
• Investigate threats and other reported incidents.
• Take threats and threatening behavior seriously; employees may not
step forward with their concerns if they think that management will
dismiss their worries.
• Deal with the issue of what may appear to be frivolous allegations
(and concerns based on misunderstandings) by responding to each
report seriously and objectively.
• Take disciplinary actions when warranted.
• Support victims and other affected workers after an incident.
• Attempt to bring the work environment back to normal after an
Forming the incident.
team’s approach
For any kind of team to work well in actual tasks, be it in sports or crisis
management, it is important that the team develop its approach to
common situations. In all teams, including those formed to lead
organizations’ responses in situations involving workplace violence,
training and group practice are key factors to real-world success. It is
important that a workplace violence management team discuss possible
situations and workable solutions before being assembled for actual
101
Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery
, situations. This allows for coordination and feasibility issues to be
worked out in advance.
How to Use the Case their readiness to handle these types of situations. The characters in
Studies the case studies are fictional and have been created for educational
purposes. No reference to any individual, living or dead, is intended or
should be inferred.
As you read the case studies keep in mind that there is no one correct
way to handle each situation. The case studies should not be taken as
specific models of how to handle certain types of situations.
Rather, they should be a starting point for a discussion and exploration
of how a team approach can be instituted and adapted to the specific
needs of each organization. A successfully used alternative may not be
useful in other instances, and there are probably several different
approaches that could be equally useful. Each group in its discussions
should strive to identify several workable approaches.
The case studies are intended to raise questions such as:
1. Do we agree with the approach the employer took in the case
Questions for discussion study?
2. If not, why wouldn’t that approach work for us?
3. What other approaches would work for us?
4. Do we have adequate resources to handle such a situation?
Establish a system to evaluate the effectiveness of a response in actual
situations that arise so that procedures can be changed as necessary.
Questions for program Ask the following questions after reviewing each of the case studies and
evaluation after planning how your organization would respond to the same or a
These case studies have similar situation:
been prepared to
provide specific risk and 1. Does our workplace violence prevention program have a process
threat factors for for evaluating the effectiveness of the team’s approach following
examination and to an incident?
create useful learning
tools. They are intended 2. Would our written policy statement and written procedures limit
to provide assistance to our ability to easily adopt a more effective course of action in the
organization planners as future, if an evaluation of our response showed that a change in
they develop workplace procedures was necessary?
violence prevention
programs and assess
102
Workplace Violence
