The Unexpected Secret to Developing an Early Warning System for Violence

Author: Tim Keck

Matt Laubhan saved my life." According to Tupelo, Mississippi resident Chad Mims, that's what everybody was saying after the 2014 tornado that destroyed 2000 homes but killed only one person.* As WTVA's chief meteorologist, Laubhan sounded the alarm long and loud, trying to convince people to take shelter, that the danger was real. He aired pictures of his baby girl making emergency plans. But it was his on-air evacuation of the weather studio that everyone still talks about. With the words "Basement, now!" Laubhan ordered the crew downstairs as the twister closed in. That move likely convinced any remaining doubters to take shelter. 

Laubhan says he's humbled by the praise for his role in saving potentially hundreds of lives. But he credits his training and reliance on God with guiding him that day.

Maybe Matt Laubhan has something to teach us as well. Whether we are talking tornados, heart attacks, or targeted violence, early warning systems save lives. But there is one major barrier that prevents you from getting information about a violent act in advance, and it's not at all what you think.

An early warning system (EWS) is anything that gives you advanced notice of danger, giving you time to prepare and implement plans. In the case of targeted violence, specifically the workplace kind, that might mean:

•               A tip from a worker who overheard a troubling conversation.

•               A former employee posting indirect threats on the internet.

•               The spouse of an employee who threatened to come to work and hurt her.

Any of these situations could be going on at your organization right now, and you might not even know it. You see, learning about it in advance is the key to preventing workplace violence. If someone doesn't speak up and tell the right person, nothing will be done. That means no one will take action until the assailant shows up with a weapon. And that is almost always too late.

So, what's the "Unexpected Secret…" the title mentions?

The answer comes from a story about a domestic violence victim we will call Elena. She showed up every day for work and, by all accounts, did a good job. No one knew her husband was abusing her. Except her friend and coworker, Amanda. Over time, things got worse in Elena's relationship. Amanda began to notice bruises, which Elena tried to explain away. Elena's boss noticed her performance had fallen off and she was missing more work than before.

Finally, Elena left her husband and moved into a shelter. Unexpectedly, that made things worse. Amanda overheard phone calls between Elena and her husband, where he would scream at her. Because he couldn't find her anywhere else, he told Elena he was going to come to work and get her. Still, she didn't speak up.

Why not?

The company had a workplace violence policy. They promoted domestic violence awareness and donated to mental health causes. But none of that mattered to Elena. She was afraid to speak up because of the embarrassment, the fear of losing her job, and what others would think of her. That her boss and the company would treat her differently or even terminate her. 

In short, she didn't trust anyone enough to speak up. And that is the unexpected secret: leaders must build trust-based relationships with their people, or they won't speak up when they need to.

Fortunately, an HR generalist had done exactly that, with Amanda. Noticing the escalation, Amanda took a chance and spoke with her friend in HR, the one she trusted, and got the threat out in the open. They then involved our Threat Assessment and Management services, and we de-escalated the situation, getting the estranged husband arrested before he could commit the crime.

Your people are your best early warning system. But they won't speak out unless they trust a leader—or, ideally, all your leaders. The formula for trust-building is simple. Since we don't trust people, we don't know, encourage your leaders to get to know their people as people, not just names on an org chart.

Not only will they increase teamwork, but they might also save someone's life. 

*As reported on ClarionLedger.com