In today's difficult global economy many companies are facing the prospect of corporate layoffs. Following a workplace violence shooting in Santa Clara last Friday, we have had many requests for information on how companies can better prepare for Reductions In Force ( RIF 's), how to recognize the Warning Signs for Violence, & ways to minimize Workplace Violence.

Santa Clara Shooting (11-14-08):

An employee that was laid off returned to work last Friday for a meeting with the CEO, VP Engineering and head of HR and killed all three. SiPort was a small company of only 39 employees; it was a very tragic situation.

The shooter did not fit the typical workplace violence profile, he is married with three children. This highlights the fact that although there are good profiles, a normally non-violent person can become violent. Media articles report that he was let go for performance issues. However, this start-up company's VC's had requested that all of their portfolio companies cut costs to conserve money anticipating lean economic times ahead. Employees at start-up companies put in very long hours expecting pay-off when the company is sold or IPO's; they feel "stabbed in the back" when the people they worked so hard with get to keep their jobs & get a chance at the "pot of gold". The shooter was a senior engineer and felt he had lost everything overnight. The management team felt that they knew the shooter well enough to agree to meet with him. Three senior executives were in the room with him & perhaps they felt "protected in numbers" or maybe they simply accommodated him because they knew him so well. However, we may never know if the managers in this situation had any "gut feeling" about him and therefore met together.