Every business has to do it at times…terminating an unproductive, abusive, or unmotivated employee. It’s never an easy decision, especially with the knowledge that you’re cutting off someone’s livelihood. But there’s another aspect to consider…the possibility of retaliation through workplace violence. Protecting your workplace from terminated employees requires preparedness and additional protection – you never know what is going to happen, and it’s always best to be prepared.
Protecting Your Workplace From Terminated Employees
Be sure that you’re ready for retaliation when it becomes necessary to terminate an unproductive employee. Here are some helpful things to be aware of to protect your employees and your property.
Educate Your Employees. First, be sure that your company has procedures in place to handle situations, and that your employees and staff are regularly reminded of what to do should a situation arise. One never knows if there will be an angry reaction from a terminated employee, so it’s important that your staff knows how to respond.
Know The Employee. Second, have your staff assess whether the terminated employee represents a potential risk…observing past behaviors, noticing angry reactions to situations, witnessing threats made by the employee, or other signs. Having a background and a history will help your human resources people develop a plan for the employee termination.
Put Your Plan Into Action. Next, act on your plan. Have a checklist and make sure that you cover all of your bases for a termination, including legal ones. Depending on your type of business, you may want to include human resources, IT staff and others in the plan execution. If you’ve raised concerns, you may want to reach out to an outside security staff to help you prepare.
Protect Your Assets. Keep in mind that all of your employees have some sort of access to your valuable devices, and your IT employees may have access to vital data and computer resources. The potential for damage from a disgruntled soon-to-be-ex-employee is great. An employee might have access to passwords, messaging platforms and more. Be sure that all of your technology and intellectual property is protected and that the employee’s access is disabled.
You Can Take Steps Now To protect Your Workplace.
When it’s time to terminate the employee, be smart. If you are genuinely concerned about a potential incident, you should have experienced security personnel in place in advance to provide protection. A trained security staff will be able to see signs of potential violence, including being able to spot a weapon. In addition, having professional security on hand alone is a strong deterrent to violence.
As smoothly as possible, have the terminated employee escorted off of the property. It’s wise to have your security staff monitor the employee throughout the process, and ensure that the employee does not make an attempt to re-enter the grounds, potentially with a weapon.
Are You Protecting YOUR Workplace From Terminated Employees?
As a business owner, terminating employees is one of the most difficult decisions to make, but the threat of violence can be too big of a risk to your business and your employees to take. If you see warning signs with certain terminated employees, or if your gut is telling you to be concerned, take the time to invest in professional security personnel.
Be sure that your employees, customers and intellectual property are all protected when you have to terminate an employee. Reach out to Blackstone Security Group today and ask us abut our armed and trained security personnel. We currently provide protection for multiple types of businesses; you can read about a few on our blog page.
Call us today at 856-885-4319 and speak with our owner Dave Ollivier today. Or you can click here to request a quote online. We’re here to help keep you and your business safe!
BSG owner Dave Ollivier is a licensed NJ Private Investigator, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and an NRA Certified Instructor. See more about his certifications here.
