With the recent shootings what's your....

[andrea843]

Company's policy regarding security? Do they take it seriously, or simply assume that bad things couldn't possibly happen to them?



I recall quite clearly some years ago working with a young man who became increasingly disenchanted with his job.  He became very strange, talking about guns and who should be killed.  He talked lots, and this was a time nearly 20 years ago when workplace violence didn't get nearly the attention as it does now.



When he began to develop a specific plan, in a "joking" manner I went to management and expressed my fears that this young man was a powderkeg waiting for a chance to blow sky high.



I've always wondered if I did the right thing.  He was summarily fired, (probably not the best choice, knowing what we know NOW about work place violence and the tendency of the perpetrators to take a life changing event like a firing and use it for their excuse to erupt.)



He returned to the worksite the next night and was escorted from the premises by Security, but there never was any violence.  



What about YOUR workplace, are you well versed on the possibilities, the signs, of potential violence?

[msrobbie]

We have a few "unwritten" rules about office security.



No female (yes, I know . . . ) is allowed to be in the building alone unless the doors are locked.  If it's the end of the day and my receptionist is the last one, she leaves with the last person out the door, even if it's before 5:00 p.m.  My general manager is adamant about not allowing a female to stay here alone with the office open.



No one is allowed to just walk in the front and walk back to someone's office without being announced . . . even spouses or significant others or kids.  We had an ex-wife waltz right by our receptionist, who tried to stop her, and I had to get out of a meeting, go get her out of someone's office, and escort her to the front door.  She hasn't stepped foot in the place since.  But she's a little psycho, so I was pretty nervous about the whole thing.



We have some subcontractors who like to come in the back door when the warehouse is open and just come trotting up to someone's office, but I've put a stop to that in no uncertain terms.  When one guy did it the second time after being told by me specifically NOT to come in that way, I embarrassed him in front of several other managers, so he won't do THAT again!



We have an alarm system that can be activated in zones, so we can keep the alarms to the front and back doors active while wandering around in the office.  Our system is pretty sensitive.  Cute story . . . when bossie was with us for his one year anniversary, his wife brought him in some goodies and a balloon with one of those weights on the bottom of the string.  That weekend, the alarm system went off nine times and after the third call and check that nothing was amiss, the rest of the alarms were ignored.  Come to find out when they checked the zone where the alarm was triggered, it was in bossie's office.  His balloon was jigging up and down whenever the air conditioning cut on and off, and it was passing in front of the sensor in his office, causing the alarm to go off.  We had a lot of fun at his expense over that one!



Robbie

[queeperqueen]

Since I work for the military, I have always worked in "controlled" areas inaccessable to the general public and although that doesn't protect a person from disgruntled employees, I really don't feel unsafe.  



Some of the places I've worked were extremely secure with entry guards and combo locks (like working in a vault).  Since I was overseas during the Gulf War and as you can imagine security measures were very high during that time.  We all went through anti-terrorist/self-protection training with such helpful hints as "don't take the same route to work over and over"--in other words don't become predictable...old habits are hard to break and I still follow this one.  We were also taught to search our cars for possible bombs.  When I finally arrived at work, I had to show three pieces of identification (even though the guards knew me personally) and my entire car was searched before I was allowed inside the parking lot near our building...and this was after clearing the security measures to enter the air base!  



So did I feel safe?  Pretty much, yes, from terrorist activity...but, would it help against disgruntled employees?  No way!!  Even though everyone I work with has a security clearance and we have all gone through a mental health evaluation, there is always the possibility.  



This is a good topic, Andrea, and we should all look at the security measures in place at our workplaces and point out any potential problems.



QQ (not as complacent as I was 5 minutes ago)

 

[chris68]

In my former position as Receptionist security was always an issue.  We worked in an office suite upstairs from a mall in a downtown region.  My first "city" job.  The only thing nerve racking I had happen to me is some drunk person got in the elevator and made his way up from the mall into the offices and right into our front lobby.  I got rid of him in short order and called security downstairs to let them know he was coming.  That was a scary thing, who knows what he was thinking at the time.  And they did have the same policy as you Ms. Robbie, they would not let any female after dark or after hours walk out of the building alone.



Where I am now, safety is really not that much of an issue in the Suburbs where we are.  Folks here just make sure that you are not the only one in the building and that someone has a key to lock up when they leave.



Chris68

[yankeestarbuck]

My last job was for a security company, so I understand all the measures that are taken to prevent disgruntled employees because I've typed the serious incident reports for such things.  But what I got a kick out of was that our own office lost it's front door security officer after a while.  The worst part was we were right next to a subway entrance so once in a while, we would find a homeless person sleeping in there, enjoying the radiator there.  Where I am now, we have a security officer down at the building entrance (who never looks up from his newspaper) and a card-key lock on our doors.  I'm not worried about the outside world getting in so much.  I also am not worried about disgruntled employees because we have such a pleasant work environment, due in part to the director being so laid-back.  I believe that things here will remain laid-back...otherwise, I'm hitting the bricks.  I will no longer work for keyed-up people.  That's a fact.

[msrobbie]

Another senseless shooting at a business . . . check out this link  www.theeagle.com/region/localregional/010901sandersonshooting.htm



This company was the place where my ex-husband worked part-time while he was in high school.  This is in a community where I lived for 20-some years.  How do you deal with or prevent something like this from happening?  Who would think that you'd need security in a poultry farm company?



The problem is not with security.  The problem is in a society gone amok and the need for instant gratification that is so prevalent in our world today.  I can only shake my head in disbelief and say a little prayer for those people who are in such terrible physical and emotional pain because of this incident.  



I have to believe there are good and decent people everywhere.  I sure as heck am not going to pull the covers over my head and hide from life because I'm scared to live it.



(Hey, it's raining here in the desert . . . I'm entitled to be a little morose!)



Robbie

[jahdra]

On Friday, a woman was assaulted in our other building (she doesn't work for my company) in the restroom. They sent out a voice mail telling all the women not to: use the stairwells, go down to the garage alone or go to the bathroom alone.



Yesterday, mail service delivered a flyer to all the women with a description of the assailant.



Just recently, they finally took the locks off the doors, so they stay locked and restricted access to the executive floor with a key card in the elevator. Our building has security guards, but they face the plaza, not the street, so people can wander into the building who don't belong there.



Frankly, security is rather lax in our company at the moment, even though laptops and other expensive items get stolen all the time, in the middle of the day!



They promise in our new building this fall, that security will be tighter, with keycard access only, instead of everything being wide open like it is now.



That still wouldn't protect us from someone who totally lost it, though, and with the hours they work and the stresses they're under, it does worry me. They are trying to keep it from being a badge of honor to have lost the last 5 years worth of vacation allotments (use it or lose it) but it's uphill work in a company with a mandatory 50 hour work week. And 50 hour weeks just meet their MINIMUM hours goal!



Usually, though, when they've had enough, they quit. Turnover is constant and the complaint is always the same: Too many hours. The company's response? Nobody SAID you had to work every weekend, it's not REQUIRED. No, but it is expected, especially if you ever want to get promoted again.



That's enough, off my soapbox for now!

[radaro]

I live in Canada.  While I will not hide my head in the sand and say that these shootings cannot happen here, I think a BIG problem is the lack of gun control in the US.  I am not saying that this is the only problem but it's the constitutional RIGHT to bear arms that is a big part of the problem.



People believe that a gun will keep them safe from intruders.  However, it has been shown statistically that homeowners rarely have the opportunity to use guns in these situations.  It is more likely that someone will be shot accidentally with this very same gun.



I also believe that people are desensitized to violence because there is so much of it on TV and in movies.  Violence in the media is becoming increasingly more graphic.



I have to agree that instant gratification plays a factor in this, too.  Why work to solve a problem when you just blow the problem away in a second?



Finally, while in many of these cases the perpetrator has been found to be mentally unstable, this brings me back to my original statement.  If guns weren't so readily available, then these lunatics wouldn't be able to get them so easily.  Let's face it, in some states it's more difficult to get a marriage licence then to get to get a gun.

[daisylee]

Robbie,



I agree with you wholeheartedly!  The need for instant gratification and entitlement has been the downfall to our society.  To honestly believe you should have what ever you want, when ever you want, by any means necessary.  Whether it be the leather jacket in the store, on someone else's back, or in the closet at the office!  And even worse yet is the idea you have the right to resort to violence every time someone manages to iterate you.  Because they got the promotion, not you.  Because they didn't get fired, and you did.  Because you got caught embezzling money from the coffers....and they weren't committing any fraudulent activities!  Because they cut you off in traffic?!?!?  And have a nicer car?  What standards have we set for ourselves?  And why is it that some of us in this world have learned that we get what we give, and others think they should only take?



When everyone in this world learns that you (old cliche here) "Reap what you sew"...maybe we won't have to worry about how to protect ourselves from maniacs in the workplace, on the road, heck, even in the grocery store!  



Daisylee (saddened, but not hopeless!) in Chicago

[energizer]

I worked for a chemical company in the '70's (read: Napalm) and for awhile many of the company's locations were getting bomb threats a couple of times a week.  Security was tightened and we had a guard on duty who let no one pass unless they had a valid company-issued ID card.  When the guard was cut (for budget reasons) we went to key-card access only.  Friends who work there now tell me security is still tight.



Now I work for a less volatile company, but we are a research and development location and many of our products are very restricted, so building access is also very restricted for the most part.  We have a receptionist at the main entrance and all visitors must sign in.  Entry is available through other doors, but only with a key-card.  One notable flaw in this system is that anyone can enter the building through the loading dock area which is kept open with a "prop" during the day to accommodate the smokers who must go outside for a cigarette.  If there is no one in the receiving area to stop an intruder, they could just go right in.  Kind of scary when you think about it.  From that point, they have full access to the entire building except for the computer room.



We, too, have had laptops, etc. stolen during the day, but "inside jobs" were suspected.  Couldn't prove it, but in those cases security wouldn't have helped.



 

[yankeestarbuck]

I work for a project in NYC that is for the public transportation.  As is the TA rules, TA police officers must patrol all TA space (which includes my project office).



"Just looking around, miss.  Nothing to be alarmed about."



"Well, if you find anything, let me know."



Today was a second visit, but it's still erie for me to see an armed police officer patroling my cubicles.  I think this might be overkill (NO pun intended), but hey, if my coworkers and I are safe from intruders and each other, I'm willing to deal with it.

[msrobbie]

I just came out of a managers' workers compensation "Accident Investigation" class.



One of the statistics, nationwide, for workers compensation claims . . .



Gunshot wounds make up EIGHT PERCENT of all workers compensation claims in the United States.



Mind-numbing, isn't it?



Robbie

[craftygirl]

Um, I'm it.  Nothing going on here, and nobody has been fired yet.  *shrug*  Not really a sitch where you'd need security yet, thank Goodness.



But...............eight percent?~  Wow~!



~shannon

[radaro]

I would assume that the 8%, in addition to including people shot by disgruntled former employees, also includes police officers, security guards, etc. who get shot on the job (including accidental shootings like "it went off while I was cleaning my gun").



Has anyone done any sort of research as to what is the likelyhood of getting shot on the job?  Not to diminish the need for security or our feeling of insecurity but my feeling is that I am more likely to be killed on the road to the office than shot on the job and, yet, I still don't see people driving any better.