The nuclear crisis in Japan. The war in Libya.
This might seem an inopportune time to bring up a problem often closer to home for many employers, but bring it up a conscientious HR consultant must.
It’s the spectre of workplace violence. The issue arises again in the wake of a murder at a Bethesda, Md. yoga clothing store. The crime occurred Friday night March 11 after hours at the Lululemon Athletica store.
The next morning, police found the murder victim and a co-worker bound and gagged. The co-worker told police that she and had victim had returned to the store after closing and were confronted by two “masked men” who murdered the victim and sexually assaulted the co-worker and tied her up.
The story seemed odd because apparently no one standing outside in this busy neighborhood of stores and restaurants saw such men. There were other discrepancies in the co-worker’s story also.
And it turned out the story was a hoax, and police now believe that the co-worker murdered her co-worker, although they haven’t said what the motive was.
But the larger point is it shows that the workplace is not a safe haven. As Robert McCartney, columnist for the Washington Post, wrote on Sunday: Maybe now the businesses will add training for managers to spot troubled employees.
He was speaking about the businesses in affluent Bethesda, but really he could have been speaking about businesses anywhere.
Here a workplace violence prevention website. There are many more; simply type “workplace violence” on your browser.
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