You’ve probably read about workers “going postal” and figured workplace violence could never occur at your business. But the chances of it happening are more common than you think.
Two million people are the victims of workplace violence each year, according to one estimate from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. And experts are worried the problem may be growing due to the pressures the recession is putting on workers.
Given those concerns, it’s important to have a strategy in place to protect your employees and your business, suggests Carolyn Buchanan, who has led discussions on workplace violence and will be conducting a workshop on the subject in October.

Spotting the Signs
While it is hard to define precise behaviors that signal a potentially violent situation, there are some clues that should alert you to possible problems, says Eva Del Rio, human resources consultant and founder of HR Pro on Demand. Look for signs such as these, suggested by Del Rio and the Michigan and North Carolina state labor websites:
Workers who aren’t acting like themselves or who are withdrawn.
Employees who are constantly angry at others, or who feel they’ve been wronged.
Workers who make cryptic statements like, “What goes around comes around.”
Employees who may appear to have an alcohol or substance-abuse problem.
Workers who become frustrated and impatient and end up keeping information from others.
Employees who seemed more stressed than normal or who are short-tempered.
Workers whose performance, behavior, appearance or attendance is falling.
Employees who show an increased fascination with weapons.

How to Intervene
Typically, when employers see the first signs of what may be workplace violence, they tend to ignore them. This is the worst thing you can do, Del Rio says. It is much better to approach the situation directly. Simply ask what’s troubling the person and, “What can I do?” The employee may be going through a divorce or losing his home, and knowing that there’s a comfortable environment at work in which to talk, without fear of being fired, can help prevent the person from snapping. 
If the employee doesn’t respond to friendly intervention, you have two options: progressive discipline or discipline through counseling.
Progressive discipline, or giving warnings that grow in consequence up to termination, can be the riskier option, because if you don’t handle the encounters correctly, you may be perceived as the troubled employee’s new enemy, and possibly a target if the person resorts to violence, Del Rio says.
Buchanan recommends disciplining through counseling instead of reprimanding. With this method, you’d sit with the employee and tell the person what was done wrong and why he or she shouldn’t have done it. The situation acts more like a help session than a confrontation.
If discipline doesn’t improve the situation and you feel the only option is to terminate, make sure you take precautions to protect yourself and other employees. For example:
Change the employee’s security passwords and deactivate the person’s access card so the fired employee won’t be able to do malicious damage.
Change the locks on doors that the employee would have a key to.
Let another member of management know you intend to terminate someone for workplace violence and ask the manager to keep close by in case you need help.
Do the firing at the end of the day and work week, Del Rio suggests.
Make sure any employees who might have been targets are out of the workplace when the firing occurs.
Do the firing out of view of the rest of the staff.

Screening Beforehand
The easiest way to curb violence in the workplace is through prevention beforehand, and a good program starts when a person first applies for a job, suggests Buchanan, who also owns the Tempforce employment agency in Gainesville.
Obviously, you’ll want to do a background check on the person—but don’t stop there. When she’s interviewing potential hires, Buchanan says she watches the person the moment he or she enters the office to identify potentially alarming characteristics. Listen for statements that could be telling too. For example, pay special attention if an interviewee blames a past employer for being fired or resigning, because often people who blame others become threats in the workplace, Buchanan says.
It’s also important to make sure the person you hire is a good match for the job and a good fit with other employees, since a mismatch could trigger violence, Buchanan says. 
It helps to put a potential employee through multiple interviews with different managers, to reduce the chances the person is masking troubling behavior with you.
Although by law you can’t ask certain questions that might signal future violent situations, like, “Do you have a custody hearing coming up?,” you can ask strategic questions to get the person talking, such as, “If you could change anything in your life, what would it be?” These types of questions can open the door to free discussion, Buchanan suggests.

Train. Train. Train.
Buchanan insists constant training is the key to preventing violent situations. Training at least yearly can help employees deal with stress so they’re less likely to snap, and it shows other staff members how to dissolve a potentially violent situation before it occurs.
When you get right down to it, though, the best and simplest way to prevent violence may be to show respect and to acknowledge your employees every day, Buchanan says. Make sure they know their value to the company, whatever their position may be. When people know they’re respected, they’re less likely to lash out, especially in violent ways, Buchanan says.