Tragedy focuses businesses on averting violence at work

By Megan Kamerick, New Mexico Business Weekly

Melissa hid the abuse from her employer.

She made excuses for her husband, or figured it was her fault. She worried that speaking up could cost him his job, and make life much worse.

“Sometimes you get a mental picture that to keep the devil you know with you is better than not knowing where he is,” she said.

So Melissa, whose name has been changed for this story, stayed quiet — until he gave her a concussion and tore her vocal cords.

She got medical attention and legal help at the Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center. She went to her job at Lovelace Women’s Hospital and warned everyone that her husband might show up and start shooting. She gave his photo and a copy of her restraining order to the security guards, and her employers worked with her to keep her safe.

Thankfully, nothing happened. After much counseling on all sides, she and her now ex-husband have an amicable relationship.

But Melissa was reminded recently of how lucky she is. Her friend, Michele Turner, was shot and killed at Emcore Corp. in Albuquerque by Robert Reza in July.

“She was so strong for me,” Melissa said. “She was there to help me with anything.”

Reza was a former Emcore employee. One of his targets was his ex-wife, Adrienne Basciano, who told co-workers she was concerned about her safety and the safety of her children because of Reza’s mental state, said Beth Paiz, deputy chief of investigations with the Albuquerque Police Department. Reza was convinced Emcore had planted chips in his brain, Paiz said.

“She told co-workers ‘If he shows up here at work, he will cause problems,’” Paiz said.

There were previous reports of domestic violence incidents between the two, she added.

The shootings were a wake-up call for many businesses, and they have sought advice on how to prevent similar incidents, said Joanne Fine, spokeswoman with United Way of Central New Mexico. Companies are learning about early warning signals of violence, and the importance of taking appropriate action without inflaming the situation or stigmatizing victims.

The nonprofit held a half-day workshop this month for an overflow crowd of more than 90 attendees. The next session on Aug. 30 was moved to larger quarters.

The event involved domestic violence advocates, attorneys and law enforcement. United Way was the lead agency in establishing the Family Advocacy Center, a one-stop location for victims of family violence where law enforcement agencies and nonprofit advocates are housed together. (For more on the center, see media.)

“There has to be a paradigm shift in thinking on this topic,” said Sgt. Paul Szych, who works with APD’s Family Abuse Stalking and Training Team, or FASTT. “If you leave here and just say ‘I like what I heard, but I’m not going to change anything,’ then you’re waiting for another incident to happen.”

FASTT can do threat assessments, including low-level surveillance.

The costs of violence
Nationally, workplace violence costs companies $36 billion annually, according to Pinkerton Security. In a 2008 study of 70,000 people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 26 percent of women and 16 percent of men reported being victims of “intimate partner violence.” The annual cost of lost productivity due to domestic violence is estimated as $727.8 million, with more than 7.9 million paid work days lost per year, according to a 2003 CDC study.

Szych related the story of a woman who kept a photo of her abuser in her wallet with a note saying that if she was found dead or hurt, he was responsible.

“Think of that mindset. She has accepted the fact the she’ll be killed and no one will help her,” Szych said. “Is that the person answering your phones?”

There is almost always a vortex of information in shootings, said Troy Rodgers, acting division director for the behavioral sciences division of APD.

“There has never been a workplace or school shooting we couldn’t have predicted,” he said.

Usually, many people have pieces of information about perpetrators or victims. They need to be able to report that information confidentially, and then it should be passed on to law enforcement, he added.

Rodgers helped a company where an employee brought rifle cartridges to work.

“If someone pissed him off, he wrote their name on a cartridge and kept it on his desk,” he said.

Employers shouldn’t tolerate that kind of behavior, Rodgers added.

Sgt. Mike Archibeque said businesses should have practice drills to prepare for a violent incident. A crisis response plan should be in place, and everyone should be familiar with it. Experts also say that if there’s reason to believe an employee might respond violently to being fired, the company should have an armed security guard in the room.

Both Archibeque and Rodgers discouraged the use of “code words” when using an intercom to notify employees about a violent incident in progress, because it’s too confusing.

There is still a stigma around domestic violence, said Karen Wyman of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence. People wonder why victims stay.

But violence often comes after years of mental abuse. It’s not as if someone gets punched on a first date, Wyman said. She likened it to starting a new job when everything seems great.

“Most of us don’t quit the day we realize we have a bad boss,” she said.

A simple starting point for talking to an employee is to say “I’m worried about you,” she said.

Unfortunately, there are employers who decide firing an employee because of domestic violence is the easiest way to prevent any incidents, said advocates.

But Melissa’s boss, Lynn Arnold, chief nursing officer at Lovelace Women’s Hospital, never considered that option.

“Absolutely not,” she said. “We assisted her as best we could. She’s an amazing employee.”

Where to turn – Resources for more information about workplace violence:

Upcoming events:

United Way of Central New Mexico workshop on family violence in the workplace
Monday, Aug. 30, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
University of New Mexico Continuing Education Building
1634 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque
Free
Register by calling Julia Perkins, (505) 247-3671 x757 or e-mail julia.perkins@uwcnm.org

New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence Ideas Conference
Sept. 15-16
Albuquerque Marriott Uptown
2101 Louisiana Blvd. NE
Topics covered will include intervention for batterers
Cost: $195 to $300
Register at www.kessjones.com
For more information, call (505) 246-9240

Other resources:

Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center
13 partner organizations in one place to handle all aspects of family violence
(505) 243-2333
625 Silver SW, Suite 200, Albuquerque
www.abqfamily.org

New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence
www.nmcadv.org
(505) 246-9240

Enlace Comunitario
Advocates for Spanish-speaking victims of domestic violence
www.enlacenm.org
(505) 246-8972

Resources for domestic violence abusers seeking help
www.cyfd.org/pdf/dvot_providers_jun10.pdf

Domestic Violence Cost Calculator
www2.texashealth.org/dv/

The Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence
www.caepv.org

Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Resources on workplace violence
www.osha.gov/SLTC/workplaceviolence/index.html

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Resources from national conference on workplace violence
www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2006-144/

Crisis communication workshops for companies
DW Turner, public relations firm
Free
www.dwturner.com