Workplace Violence Prevention and Crisis Response

As the largest employment and labor law firm in the world, Littler has the unique resources and depth of experience to handle any workplace-related crisis in the moment—from threats of violence and active shooter situations to potentially dangerous employee mental health issues, including suicidal employees.

We take a multi-disciplinary approach to manage every facet of a given crisis or safety issue, including strategic advice to the C-suite, regulatory compliance, litigation and dispute resolution, and employee relations. In the process, we bring in outside experts—threat assessment specialists, psychologists, public relations firms, law enforcement, safety experts, and others—to help resolve the matter at hand.

We also help organizations develop comprehensive prevention plans, taking a 360-degree view that incorporates training, guidance, and other critical strategies aimed at mitigating physical, mental health, legal, and reputational risk.

Littler's team of workplace violence prevention and crisis lawyers assist employers with:

Crisis Response

• Immediate response to incidents or threats of workplace violence, including deaths in the workplace, suicide attempts or threats, potentially dangerous employee mental health issues, threats from employees’ spouses/partners, threats from customers/clients/patients, drug use, and active shooter situations.
   
• Harnessing Littler’s extensive geographic footprint and experience across employment and labor law to bring in attorneys with relevant regional and/or subject matter insights (e.g., OSHA investigations and compliance, labor relations).
   
• Working in tandem with a team of outside experts and law enforcement to address all aspects of workplace-related crises.
   
• Managing litigation, governmental investigations, and administrative citations resulting from incidents of workplace violence and other crises.

Workplace Violence Prevention

• Developing policies to increase awareness of workplace violence and guide employees on how to report threats.
    
• Evaluating potential risk factors in the workplace and identifying early warning signs.
    
•  Developing screening procedures during the hiring process.
   
• Counseling on best practices for disciplining and terminating employees in ways that will limit risk of violence.
   
• Managing mental health issues affecting employees, including threatened suicide and drug use.
   
• Dealing with domestic violence issues that affect employees in the workplace.
   
• Creating workplace violence prevention training programs.
   
• Assisting in the creation of threat assessment programs/protocols for employers.
   
• Interfacing with threat assessment professionals to provide a comprehensive approach to possible workplace violence situations.
   
• Assisting clients with direct threat/fitness for duty evaluations.