I have received a report of a possible threat of violence.  What do I do now?

When there is a report of a threat, or someone raises a concern about violence, the employer faces a crisis, whether or not an actual risk of violence exists. Like any incident involving possible misconduct, such as a report of sexual harassment, responding to a threat of violence requires great care in the conduct of an investigation because it involves people’s right to privacy.  Slip ups and fumbles can be damaging and costly to individuals and to the company as a whole.

You may need to have a professional perform a violence risk assessment of an employee when any of the following conditions exist:

• When it has been determined that a threat has been made.
• When others are threatened by employee’s behavior, such as displaying a weapon or repeated references to violence.
• When behavioral changes are observed when there is reason to think that someone is being pushed to violence by events such as discipline, possible job loss, or other significant life stressors.

In virtually all of these scenarios, successful threat management depends on the professional’s ability to understand the organizational issues surrounding the request.  The Braverman Group has over 30 year’s experience in organizational crisis management and the assessment of violence potential.

References provided upon request.