Why are we shocked that people are murdered at Yale, Virginia Tech, Columbine, or other institutions? Or federal buildings, USPS facilities, and Planned Parenthood offices?

Violence in society at large is not new, but it is growing.  Incidents of violence are mentioned in The Bible and in ancient hieroglyphics and literature. For centuries sailors who traveled far from their employers on the high seas faced piracy by groups of bandits. Various religious and political groups have frequently resorted to violence—and still do.

A larger and more organized group, the Mafia, has been around since its origination in Sicily during the 9th century.  Street gangs have been fighting for at least 400 years, and in the last century there were numerous instances of violence committed by “The Mob” or other criminal elements in places where people work.  We also saw American businessmen in other countries kidnapped and held for ransom from their employers or for political purposes.

However, virtually all of these violent attacks were tabulated as criminal acts, not workplace violence; and they had little direct impact on most citizens in the USA.  Public and managerial indifference began to change when violence struck closer home in the 1980s and 1990s, with repeated homicides at U.S. Postal facilities and the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

During the last 3 decades workplace violence also spread to a totally different group of workers in a worksite that had always been considered safe:  the nation’s schools–elementary, secondary, and more recently, higher education. From 1997 to 2007, for example, the most recent year for which data are readily available, more than 7,000 occupational homicides occurred nationwide (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) by individuals inside or outside the organization.

How safe is YOUR workplace?