Security resources

This is a complex and challenging time for professionals whose job responsibilities require dealing with threats that may arise from acts of workplace violence. One such group that plays a critical and often underappreciated role in protecting company personnel and assets from incidents of workplace violence are HR professionals. Understanding key cultural and security trends that could impact threats in the workplace should be a key priority for HR decision-makers.

The top security trends impacting HR decision-making can be divided into three general categories: people, operational elements, and technology trends.

Every HR professional should be cognizant of the extremely relevant and impactful trends in mental health. The pandemic upset the applecart in the workplace in so many ways. One of the most important of those is that for many the workplace is no longer the workplace! Far more people are working from home either full or part time, and travel and workplace gatherings are no longer as common. The rise in mental health challenges that has arisen in part due to this lack of social engagement is well documented, and many employees are still facing family turmoil and trauma that resulted from a change in personal or professional circumstances. Uncertainty and stress can contribute to emotional and mental instability and lead to erratic or even dangerous behavior. HR professionals need to be alert to the potential for disgruntled employees and disputes in the workplace. They not only need to be aware but involved — prepared to do what is necessary to mitigate a potentially dangerous situation. By engaging and understanding the issues, HR professionals can create an effective plan to address the situation before a threat manifests.

From an operational perspective, the long and slow process of getting back to normal means that the personalities, workload, and pressure of new environments is contributing to more stress and more concerns about workplace safety. It is prompting more employees to speak up and share concerns publicly and sometimes to even make threats. The soapbox of social media has exacerbated this phenomenon by giving an upset or unstable employee a large platform to air their grievances. The challenge for HR professionals is to familiarize themselves with the key words or rhetoric that might be red flags to an investigator or threat management professional. A troubled employee who is posting videos from a gun range might be innocuous but also might be deeply concerning.

The tech landscape presents a wide range of potential new vulnerabilities with real implications for workplace violence and HR security concerns. Insider threats are potentially more significant, and data privacy and data security can be compromised more readily for a range of potentially nefarious purposes. Because so many people work from home, sharing personal or sensitive information is easier than ever, and securing it is harder than ever. Further complicating the issue is the fact that we are experiencing a political environment where being vocal about a wide range of issues has been increasingly normalized — disruptions or dramatic actions are seen by some as noble or necessary. And with technology accelerating at an exponential rate, concerns are only growing. Advances in AI are further increasing the danger, providing bad actors with powerful new tools. Staying on top of tech trends and proactively addressing issues like cybersecurity and data and password protection has never been more important for HR professionals.

Given the context above, what should HR professionals be doing? What are the best practices they should be implementing to stay ahead of trends impacting workplace violence?

Recognize that people, operational elements, and technology trends are not isolated — they are connected. A disgruntled employee could be more likely to take advantage of gaps in your technology to share sensitive information with competitors, for example. Trends in one space can and do impact threat potential in another, and it is incumbent upon HR professionals to recognize those connections — and their implications.

One of the areas most often overlooked by HR is the need to regularly update your workplace violence plan. Most companies have plans in place, but they are outdated and often based on circumstances and assumptions that may have been relevant 5-6 years ago. That’s an eternity in a culture and a professional environment that looks and operates very differently today.

HR leaders should understand that it is not just the protocols and policies that need to be updated, but the stakeholders. Security and HR cannot be the only ones involved in workplace violence planning and response. The stakes are too high. More involvement is needed from C-Suite, Legal, and PR personnel. A team approach is essential to developing a comprehensive and effective prevention and response plan. Having those channels in place ahead of time is essential when everything has to move quickly on multiple fronts in the event of an incident. Even the best plan is only as good as the decision-makers who are empowered to implement it. Consider elements like approvals when it comes to response times. Security approvals for things like the services of a forensic psychologist or investigative or surveillance response cannot be sluggish or overly complex when timeliness could be the difference between prevention and tragedy. Bad actors don't operate on your timeline — and they don’t care what your approval process looks like.

From an advisory standpoint, HR folks need to understand the gaps in their security program and workplace violence prevention measures. Do you have a workplace violence prevention program? What does that look like? Do you have mechanisms in place to regularly review your security protocols and procedures? Do you have an employee assistance program for employees who might be dealing with mental health challenges? From an operational perspective, have you checked the right boxes when it comes to evaluating, mitigating, and responding to risks? Have you evaluated your physical security, and do you monitor access to your facility? On the tech side, have you conducted a recent penetration test on your networks and reviewed your cybersecurity protocols?

Finally, HR professionals should be asking themselves when their security and workplace violence planning was last assessed by a trained security professional. A trusted security expert with workplace violence training and expertise can help identify the gaps in your plan, determine which stakeholders should be involved, and advise on how best to secure buy-in from those stakeholders. A security partner can help HR professionals articulate their policies, processes, protocols, and programs to ensure that they include key priorities like reporting channels, responsibilities, highlighting escalation points, designing and deploying training programs, conducting mental health evaluations, and determining when and how to intervene. They can also help with professional monitoring and assessment to identify potential workplace violence concerns before they become a more dangerous or damaging problem. At a time when so much is changing at unprecedented speed, professional vigilance and oversight is one of the best assets for HR professionals looking to keep their people and their assets safe.