Practical Lessons for Preventing Targeted Workplace Violence

Workplace violence prevention begins when someone raises a concern and the organization follows through. A supervisor may notice escalating hostility. A receptionist may receive repeated intimidating calls. An employee may reveal that a former partner is stalking them. Each situation deserves a clear way to get help.

The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center’s 2026 guide, Preventing Targeted Workplace Violence, explains how employers can recognize concerns, understand what is happening, and take action before someone is harmed. The guide calls this behavioral threat assessment and management. In everyday language, it means bringing the right people together to understand a troubling situation and reduce the danger.

The research examines 50 mass attacks involving 51 attackers from 2016 through 2020. Each attack harmed at least three people, excluding the attackers, and involved someone known or reasonably identifiable through a connection to the workplace. These findings describe only that selected group of attacks, not all workplace violence. They offer eight useful lessons for employers.

1. Act before someone makes a direct threat.

Seventy-eight percent of the attackers had previously behaved in ways that concerned others. The guide encourages reporting concerns early, including stalking, escalating aggression, threatening messages, or an increasing focus on violent retaliation. Employees should describe what they saw or heard, including exact words and dates when possible. Stress, a mental health concern, or an isolated disagreement does not establish that someone is dangerous. The response should consider the person’s behavior and circumstances, with trained staff deciding what needs further attention.

2. Give concerns a team and a clear owner.

Useful information can be scattered across an organization. A supervisor may know about a conflict, human resources may have received a complaint, and security may have encountered the same person at the entrance. A designated team can bring these pieces together. Include people with relevant management, human resources, security, and support responsibilities, with legal and other expertise available as needed. Leaders should provide time, resources, and written procedures that explain who receives reports, who makes decisions, and who follows up.

3. Make reporting easy and trustworthy.

Employees need accessible ways to raise concerns, including an option beyond their immediate supervisor. Explain what to report, who reviews it, and what happens next. Acknowledge reports, explain privacy limits, and protect people from retaliation. Decide who monitors reports outside normal business hours. A reporting form is only useful if someone responds. Immediate danger requires an emergency response; employees should not wait for a routine team meeting or an email reply.

4. Include customers, visitors, and personal relationships.

More than half of the attackers in this study were customers, clients, patients, visitors, or romantic partners and relatives of people connected to the workplace. Prevention plans need to cover these situations. Give receptionists, customer service staff, and others who interact with the public clear instructions on how to seek help. Repeated harassment by a visitor should reach the same coordinated response process as concerning behavior by an employee.

5. Help employees facing domestic violence.

Fifty-three percent of the attackers had a history of domestic violence, including incidents that never resulted in criminal charges. Employers should make it safe for employees to disclose abuse and ask for help. Work with the affected employee and qualified partners on practical protections, such as keeping schedules private, arranging safer parking, adjusting work arrangements, or connecting them with community services. Listen to what the employee has already tried and involve them in decisions. Their safety and choices should guide the response.

6. Address workplace grievances and mistreatment.

Among the 22 current or former employee attackers, 95 percent were motivated at least partly by a grievance, which could involve work or personal circumstances. Eight had experienced workplace bullying or harassment. These findings do not mean that people who complain are likely to become violent. They reinforce the value of fair complaint handling, clear explanations of decisions, and prompt responses to mistreatment. Managers should take harassment seriously even when the person responsible performs well. Employees need confidence that raising a problem can lead to meaningful action.

7. Plan carefully when employment ends.

The guide explicitly cautions that firing someone does not eliminate the risk they may pose. When safety concerns exist, coordinate the separation with the appropriate personnel, consider the meeting’s location and format, revoke access consistently, and explain the decision without humiliation. Offer transition support when feasible and determine whether continued follow-up is needed. The guide also warns that automatic punitive responses can discourage reporting and overlook individual circumstances. Safety decisions require a response suited to the situation.

8. Turn every assessment into action and follow-up.

A conclusion such as “low risk” or “high risk” does not tell anyone what to do next. A useful plan names the concern, the action, the responsible person, and the deadline. Depending on the situation, actions may include employee support, clear behavior expectations, protections for affected people, access restrictions, or coordination with law enforcement. Check whether the actions were completed and whether they helped. Revise the plan when circumstances change, and document why a case is ready to close.

A practical starting point is to ask employees whether they know how to report a concern and what to expect afterward. Then trace a report through your organization to see where responsibility becomes unclear or follow-up stalls. Use those gaps to improve procedures and training. The guide recommends training at orientation, regular refreshers, and reminders between sessions so that employees can use the process when they need it.