When People Do Bad Things to Each Other By Kathy Mckee


It was an extraordinary day in the early 1980’s and it had been a very trying morning and it was about to get worse in a big way. When I sat down at my desk, I noticed a large envelope marked ‘Urgent’, opened it to find an unexpected resignation from one of the Human Resources staff. I called him in to see me. To my surprise he began ranting and raving about how my boss reminded him of his Commanding Officer in Vietnam ten years ago, how he had wanted to kill him during the war, and since my boss looked like him and acted like him, he wanted to “Throw him out the window and kill him.” Rather than do that, he felt he needed to leave the job. His behavior in my office was startling. Staff members were walking by my office to make sure I was all right.


I agreed he should resign, and said we’d pay him through his notice period, but I asked that he leave as soon as possible today. He calmed down and we had a reason- able conversation. I advised that he go to the Veteran’s Administration hospital in Westwood, and seek help immediately. This was before Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was known for what it really is. He was grateful for the idea, and said he would. He then asked me to go to lunch with him, and when I said I couldn’t due to my son’s graduation, he became enraged again, blocking the door. I was frightened. . When he realized what he was doing, he calmed down and agreed he would leave.


This incident was upsetting to the entire group of 30 employees who liked working with this staff member. But we didn’t know then what we know today about PTSD and as the executive in charge, it did not occur to me to seek help for my staff who were unnerved by this incident. Later in this article, I will say more about Post Trauma debriefing.


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U.S. Labor Department's OSHA Cites Idaho Group Home and Adult Day Care Operator for Inadequate Workplace Violence Safeguards at Pocatello Facility


The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited South Park Inc., operating as Developmental Options in Pocatello, with one serious violation for failing to provide employees with adequate safeguards against workplace violence. OSHA opened an inspection of the group home and adult day care center in January following reports of increasing severity of attacks against workers. The citation carries a proposed penalty of $4,900. OSHA cited the employer for exposing employees to repeated instances of violent


behavior, aggressive physical contact and attacks by a patient in the residential habilitation program. OSHA also determined that the company failed to identify and abate existing and develop- ing hazards associated with workplace violence.


"Employers in group homes and residential settings must protect their employees against workplace violence," said David G. Kearns, director of OSHA's Boise Area Office, which conducted the inspection. "No worker should have to go to work fearful of being assaulted on the job."


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Sikh Temple Shooting Raises Question of Security at Faith- based Organizations


The man who walked into a Sikh temple in a Milwaukee suburb and opened fire, killing six people before killing himself, was a U.S. Army veteran and former leader of a white supremacist music band. A motive is still unknown, but law enforcement officials are treating it as a domestic terrorist event. Jeffrey Hawkins, an expert on church security believes it was a hate crime. Since followers of the Sikh religion wear turbans, they're often thought to be Muslims, which has led the Sikh community to be the target of harassment. Houses of worship are inher- ently soft targets because they open their doors to the public and are widely considered to be safe places. Because of this, Hawkins believes faith-based organizations don't take security seriously enough. According to a 2008 survey by a Christian news service, roughly 77% of the nearly 3,000 respondents said their churches didn't have any security measures in place.


"If all the other faiths and other religions follow the same pattern of believing that churches don't need security, then that's a lot of houses of worship that are soft targets and very vulnerable to things like this," said Hawkins.


To read more, click here Workplace Violence and the 'Bad Apple' Myth


The perception that a workplace shooting occurs after a disturbed individual "snaps" may be misguided. According to the new documentary "Murder by Proxy: How America Went Postal," workplace violence stems not from one bad apple but rather a toxic workplace culture. The documentary centers on the notorious U.S. Postal Service shootings in the 80s and 90s and reveals that pressure to increase productivity ultimately created a toxic work environment. The film points out that terminated employees who feel alienated and believe the company treated them poorly may be at a particular risk for taking such


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