If you have watched the news recently, you've heard about the shootings at Hartford Distributors, Inc., a Budweiser beer wholesaler in Hartford, Connecticut.  Omar Thornton, an employee who was asked to resign or else be fired after he was caught stealing from the company, went on a shooting rampage, killing eight people, and then himself.

This tragic story reveals the importance of every company's need to have a workplace violence prevention plan in place before such violence ever takes place. Companies must outline and train employees in clear expectations, guidelines, and procedures regarding workplace safety to prevent these situations from happening at all.

Though it is simple, the first important step in prevention is to promote a culture within the workplace that places value on respectful interactions. If an employee does not feel respected, it can lead to anger, which can lead to violence. Encourage and train employees on respect and develop tools for them to deal with issues affecting performance. Handle any issues or grievances immediately and thoroughly.

If a situations does begin to get tense or start to escalate in any way, pay attention to warning signs or changes in an employee's behavior that reveal clues of anger or discontent, and deal with them immediately to de-escalate the situation as quickly as possible.  Make sure you constantly assess your work environment to ensure respectful interactions and train your employees how to react in the event of life-threatening emergencies.