Is your co-worker dangerous?

There are often signs that a co-worker is going off the deep end

VIRGINIA GALT, Saturday's Globe and Mail

Whenever an aggrieved former employee goes on a killing rampage, as happened in California this week, the speculation immediately starts in other workplaces: Which of your tightly wound colleagues is most likely to "go postal" one day?

Such incidents rarely happen "out of the blue," says workplace violence expert Gerry Smith, vice-president of organizational health at the employee assistance firm Warren Shepell.

There are often signs that a co-worker is going off the deep end, and there are often -- but not always -- things that managers and colleagues can do to help.

We all have bad days, bad weeks, bad months even, says social worker Glenn French, president of the Canadian Initiative on Workplace Violence, a Toronto-based research group.

"But most of us don't get violent."

However, two savage incidents in the past two weeks have raised concerns about workplace safety. In Montreal last week, 17-year-old Brigitte Serre was stabbed to death as she

worked the overnight shift at a gasoline bar. An 18-year-old former co-worker, who had recently been fired, was among those arrested and charged.

Then, in Goleta, Calif., former postal worker Jennifer Sanmarco killed eight people, including herself, more than two years after she had been removed from the Goleta postal station, in handcuffs, for disruptive behaviour.

So what are the warning signs that a co-worker is losing it, what should you do about it, and when should you call security?

Mr. Smith, who teaches a course on mental-health first aid, trains supervisors and managers to be alert for changes in behaviour that could be signals of deteriorating mental health -- the previously punctual person who starts coming in late, "the person who is rude and abusive to customers and colleagues who was not that way before," the previously gregarious colleague who becomes withdrawn.

While Mr. Smith is not suggesting that all people who exhibit these behaviours are likely to turn up at work wearing a grenade belt, these are indications that they need support, compassion and, possibly, a referral to counselling before their problems become worse.

"There are lots of checklists out there that say if you have this, this and this, you have the potential for violence," says Mr. French, who added this cautionary note: "If you look at these checklists, any one of us could be on them at any given time."

Those most likely to be violent in the future are people who have been violent in the past, Mr. French and Mr. Smith say. But managers and colleagues should be on the lookout for disturbing changes in behaviour as well.

"If somebody has been pretty placid and all of a sudden they become quite angry and consistently angry, you have to become concerned about it," Mr. French say. "Is there any kind of threatening behaviour that comes your way? Do they hold grudges for long periods of time?"

A fascination with weapons or a preoccupation with violent events is a worrisome sign. Be concerned if someone makes veiled threats or comments such as, "Now I know why people bring guns to their work," Mr. French says.

"These kinds of things should be stopped in their tracks."

QuotesQuoteable Quotes

All workplaces should have policies that clearly stipulate what behaviour is acceptable and what is not and employees need to feel confident that their concerns will be taken seriously and any investigations will be handled sensitively.

CommentsEarly Warning Signs

  • Changes in normal day-to-day behaviour -- for example, lateness, increased sick time, poor hygiene or a drop in work quality.
  • A tendency to blame others for problems and weaknesses at work.
  • Recent life stressor -- for example, the death of someone close, a job loss, the end of a relationship.
  • History of addictive behaviour such as drug or alcohol abuse.
  • Tendency toward paranoid thinking and worry about what others are saying.
  • Isolation, inability to mix socially, lack of friends.
  • History of confrontational behaviour, argumentativeness.
  • Unusual interest in weapons or the military.
  • Mental or emotional instability.

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Don't hesitate to call security if there is any physical violence, or a verbal confrontation that looks as if it could lead to violence, Mr. Smith says.

There also some "inappropriately negative personality characteristics" that can be cause for concern, Mr. French says. The person who constantly complains about work, workmates and not getting ahead might just be a malcontent, or he or she might be troubled. And the person who is always suspicious of co-workers, who always feels victimized and who cannot take criticism might be suffering from some sort of mental duress, he adds.

The risk of violence may be greater at certain times of the year -- tax time, Christmas, performance-appraisal time -- says Jessie Callaghan, a health and safety expert with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.

Employees and employers alike are responsible for health and safety of their co-workers, she says. Every workplace, no matter how small, should assess the risks for workplace violence and should have procedures for reporting and investigating concerns.

An employee who fears a co-worker is spinning dangerously out of control should report it to a manager, who should then appoint someone with some expertise in mental-health issues to investigate -- not necessarily to discipline the person, but to get them help, Ms. Callaghan says.

All workplaces should have policies that clearly stipulate what behaviour is acceptable and what is not, Mr. French says, and employees need to feel confident that their concerns will be taken seriously and any investigations will be handled sensitively.

"If someone comes and says they are concerned about Frank, he's talking to himself and he's getting angry more often, the manager should not dismiss it by saying, 'Oh, that's just Frank,' " he says.

Mr. Smith says it is more difficult for employers to protect themselves from disturbed former employees, especially those who have been dismissed for erratic or dangerous behaviour.

They can minimize the risks by treating those employees as fairly as possible when they leave their employ.

Beyond that, however, "you can never tell how a person's mental health is going to deteriorate afterwards," Mr. Smith says. If the former employee has been making threats, you can beef up security to protect his or her former co-workers against possible violence, he says.

"But when there has been absolutely no contact, you can't know when someone is going to lose it like that and you can't be prepared for the consequences of someone's ruminations inside their head."

Virginia Galt is The Globe and Mail's workplace reporter.

 
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