The Right Way To Respond To Employees Who Threaten Violence

Sometimes people think anger leads to violence, so they won’t let an angry person talk. But it’s not anger that leads to violence – it’s frustration, says Davis.

Davis is the director of client training for the national law firm of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC. His remarks came during a recent audio conference sponsored by our parent company, BLR.

Anger, Davis says, is the emotion that results when we feel bad, hurt, or taken advantage of. Frustration is the emotion when we feel powerless. People who feel powerless make threats. Here are his tips for helping your supervisors and managers to deal with violence and anger:

If the Employee Says Something Violent

What should you do if you hear a statement such as, “If things don’t get right around here, someone’s going to blow this place up”? You have to respond to that right away, says Davis.

“Frank, I’m willing to hear what you have to say, and I want to deal with your issues and concerns. But I’m very concerned about what you just said because to me it sounds like a threat. Are you threatening violence, Frank?”

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“You have to ask that question,” says Davis, and pay careful attention to the response. People who are on the verge of violence will stand behind such a statement: “Well, you know, I understand how it could happen. I’m not saying any more.”

What about a person who recognizes that he or she just let go for a moment and knows that the remark was inappropriate? They will back away from the statement, saying something like: “No, no, no. I’m not saying I would do anything like that.”

You definitely can’t show empathy toward an inappropriate statement, says Davis.

What About Angry People?

An angry person typically doesn’t make threats. The voice increases in volume, but it often has a pleading quality — “I can’t believe you’re doing this; I don’t get the respect of a dog.” Allow the person to express that.

Often an employee just wants to be heard. You can respond, “I’m hearing you say that you don’t feel appreciated.” You’re not agreeing with the employee’s sentiments; you’re simply acknowledging that you understand what he or she is saying, Davis says.

If you are part of what employees are complaining about, it’s easy to want to lash back at them. Resist that temptation, says Davis. The more they express themselves, the faster anger goes away. “Anger is self-extinguishing,” Davis says.

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