Shooting in Connecticut
Paul in Cannon Beach
4,703 Posts
Another workplace tragedy. You have probably heard about it by now.
[URL]http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/04/connecticut.business.shootings/index.html?hpt=T2[/URL]
A warehous driver who was video taped stealing beer was given the opportunity to quit or be fired. Leaving the meeting he was being escorted by two company officials. He said he was thirsty and went into the company lunchroom where he had 2 nine mm pistols hidden in a lunchbox.
He shot his two escorts and began shooting other employees, apparently mostly management, including the union representative who was present for the meeting.
A grim reminder of the danger that is inherent to these types of employee terminations.
[URL]http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/04/connecticut.business.shootings/index.html?hpt=T2[/URL]
A warehous driver who was video taped stealing beer was given the opportunity to quit or be fired. Leaving the meeting he was being escorted by two company officials. He said he was thirsty and went into the company lunchroom where he had 2 nine mm pistols hidden in a lunchbox.
He shot his two escorts and began shooting other employees, apparently mostly management, including the union representative who was present for the meeting.
A grim reminder of the danger that is inherent to these types of employee terminations.
Comments
[URL]http://bit.ly/bsWk1V[/URL]
As an HR Director, I have attended more than my share of termination meetings. They are always difficult and you never know when it can turn -- as in this case -- awfully bad. It is agreed that it is vitally important to think about this tragedy and try to ascertain some lessons which would help us to prevent something like this from occurring again. Realistically, we can not assure that. There is hurt and pain enough (whether perceived, made up, or real) in our workplaces today. Nine people are dead and nine families are in turmoil and this should not have been.
For me -- and I cautiously say that my words could be eaten by even me one day -- when I read that the termination meeting was less than 15 minutes, that the employee signed the letter without protest, MY RED FLAGS IMMEDIATELY WENT UP. A person -- whether innocent or guilty -- does not do that quickly. They want to cry, beg, argue, plead for another chance, etc. This employee seemed to have felt that he had no one in the room, or perhaps in the workplace, who would listen to him. No one who would take "his side".
Now before dismissing this "theory" of mine do remember that I have been smack in the middle of a lot of termination meetings. There must be empathy no matter what the circumstances. There must be an opportunity to be heard. There must be someone who will assure that the terminated employee keeps his humanity. From my readings so far, the company did not acknowledge this employee's feelings of being discriminated against. If there indeed were a noose and racial conversations, as reported by the girlfriend -- someone in management has heard about it. Yet all I read are denials. And even now, the tone is dismissive.
Friends, co-workers, brothers, sisters, moms, dads are dead. Families are devastated. My heart aches. Why, why, why.
As HR professionals our job is to listen and to set a tone in these meetings that says -- this situation is hurtful -- for you and it is hurtful for us. We must use our experiences to try to avoid this kind of workplace tragedy. We have big roles to fill.
Personally, anyone who would shoot and kill 8 people over a job is a dangerous psychotic. I dont think the length of the termination meeting or the tone made any difference. This person brought the guns to the workplace and intended to use them.
[URL]http://nyti.ms/dD7H3G[/URL]
@Paul: For me it is important to step back and really look at the details of the event(s) -- especially when my emotions want to scream "how can this happen" -- she/he must be psychotic and this was going to happen. This person killed nine people (including himself) so I am in no way justifying this tragic occurrence. Even so, a fifteen minute termination in which a video is shown, a termination letter is read and acknowledged, an explanation is perhaps given, advice on benefits and COBRA rights (or denial thereof) is outlined; coupled with the company's denials of any knowledge of things out of the ordinary occurring in the workplace does not seem reasonable to me.
I will not throw up my hands and dismiss this as one psychotic killer who would have acted in this manner no matter what. There are many terminations in which employees are accused of stealing which don't end in tragedies like this.
We do have a choice, we can examine and attempt to lean lessons which can help us avoid these occurrences -- psychotics or not.
But there are chronic complainers out there who dream up every imaginable offense. Do you really want to have a long drawn out termination discussion with someone like that? Even if you do, there will be no resolution.
If the allegations of racism were unfounded, I think its very reasonable that the company officials believed that a short, carefully worded meeting was the appropriate course given the voliatile curcumstances.
I don't know that the fact that this coward murdered 8 coworkers means that they were necessarily wrong.
I remember about 20 years ago my hubby supervised a gal who got stranger and stranger. He began to have real fears for his safety, and the safety of his co-workers. They had no EAP, and she didn't respond to his attempts to help (which was very little compared to what we might do these days), or to get her work up to par. He works for the government so it was months before they finally let her go. He had to tell her to go to personnel where they handled the termination. While she was gone, he had the job of packing up her stuff. She was escorted from the premises, and she laughed heartily about it, taunting them for their "silly" fears. Security had her picture up and were on extra alert for months. That termination didn't last long either. They just wanted her out of the building safely.
You're dead on about treating them with respect and allowing them to maintain their dignity, though. More often, it's what is said in the meeting and how it is said that counts.
The first guy I fired broke my nose afterwards. I improved my style very quickly.
"They tend to be grievance collectors who remember every slight and … they tend to externalize blame. Whatever happens is not their fault, and they tend to perceive a profound sense of injustice."
To me, that makes more sense. This guy felt the system was against him. He couldn't win. Every look or comment was percieved as an offense.
You can't have a discussion with someone like that. There is no basis of rationality.
So it bugs me that several innocent workers not only lost their lives but now their reputations are being smeared. Their loved ones didnt get the chance to say goodbye to them. Now they have to endure unfounded claims of racism.
I think the media is missing the obvious racism in this incident. All the victims were white.
What we do know: 8 people were murdered by Omar Thornton.
The media seems to be proposing that a racist environment pushed Omar Thornton over the edge. Or maybe it was how management dismissed his allegations. Or maybe it was how short the termination meeting was.
How about placing the blame on Omar Thornton? Even if every single allegation about racism is true it doesn't justify in the slightest what Thornton did.
Thornton apparently told a former girlfriend "I'm sick of having to quit jobs and get another job because they can't accept me."
I have heard people talk like that. They are the ones that can't keep jobs but never know why. Nothing is ever their fault. Nobody understands them.
Maybe a racist environment made him steal the beer too.
I would never negate the feelings of the families who are suffering because of this man's actions; likewise I will not negate his possible pain, turmoil and hopelessness if faced with unchecked discrimination. Whether racism was present or not would not excuse it. However, if management knew of discriminatory behavior in the workplace which is covered by Title VII, and accepted or acquiesced to it, they must accept some of the guilt which turned this workplace into a killing field.
We would be mistaken to not look at the totality of this event for our responsibility is to make workplaces safe for every employee, as well as to see that laws are adhered to.
Let's do our part to make sure no other families need go through this heartache. (And that includes the Thornton family.)
@Paul - I sincerely appreciate you starting this thread because it gives us an opportunity to communicate on this topic -- and it is so needed.
Here is an example of how Omar Thornton's actions are being excused because of "workplace bullying".
[URL]http://www.examiner.com/x-48240-NY-Public-Policy-Examiner~y2010m8d3-Workplace-Bullying-An-angry-Omar-Thornton-lashed-out-against-his-employer[/URL]
My favorite line from this editorial:
"When unemployment has reached a historic apex and the job market is showing marginal growth, who would seriously consider terminating an employee on an assumption that s/he stole something?"
Umm... almost all employers?
I loved some of the responses I read. Especially the one by someone called Paul.
It's a messy time for journalists/pundits/bloggers/examiners. Today, though, you can bet that they're all writing about Jet Blue and using the word Jet Blue as many times as they can in each sentence about Jet Blue or any Jet Blue employees. Jet Blue Jet Blue Jet Blue. tk
1. It was on the first page of Google
2. It fit my argument and furthered my agenda
Brilliant strategerie!
::pb&J::