| The workplace has traditionally been a
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| | safety and security? In most
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| dangerous place. Very early in mankind's
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| | organizations, no one!I do not advocate
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| history perils emanated from the place
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| | adding yet another layer of bureaucratic
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| and type of work they performed. Long
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| | administration; however, I am stating the
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| before industrialization, men mined
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| | absolute necessity of elevating our
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| precious metals, gems and fuel in the
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| | thinking regarding safety and security to
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| form of peat and coal hidden beneath the
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| | the executive suite. No organization in
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| earth's surface. Extracting these
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| | the over-the-counter medication market
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| materials brought with it the risk of
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| | would think of introducing a new product
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| cave-ins and being buried alive.
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| | without first carefully planning what
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| Moreover, the quest for the most basic of
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| | type of tamper proof packaging would be
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| all life giving substances, water, could
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| | utilized. In many cases this would
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| also end in sudden death or severe injury
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| | include multiple protective steps, such
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| as well shafts were dug in the soft
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| | as glue sealed boxes as an outer package
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| earth.Industrialization brought with it
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| | and then an inner packaging incorporating
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| new and more interactive dangers to
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| | a further visible seal and possibly
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| workers. Machinery in factories, on
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| | inside the bottle cap yet a third tough
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| farms and aboard steamships maimed and
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| | foil seal that the end user must
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| killed with here-to-for unprecedented
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| | puncture. All this for a five dollar
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| regularity. By the 1800's, campaigns
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| | bottle of nonprescription pain reliever,
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| were already underway throughout the
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| | because a decade ago a handful of people
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| rapidly industrializing world to
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| | were poisoned by a tampered
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| introduce safety regulation and
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| | product.Incredibly, many organizations
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| restrictions on child labor into the
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| | today will build new facilities, design
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| public consciousness, amidst the rapid
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| | new processes, introduce products and
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| growth of potentially deadly machinery.
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| | services and enter new marketplaces with
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| However, it was not until the mid and
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| | nary a thought about safety and security
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| even later 20th century that many of
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| | issues until after all of the critical
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| these measures found full legal and
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| | business decisions have already been
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| societal support in the developed world.
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| | made. Only then, as an afterthought, are
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| To this day, many parts of the developing
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| | those who understand the strategic
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| world still do not protect their workers,
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| | breadth and depth of the real safety and
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| including children, from even the most
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| | security issues assigned the task of
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| blatant workplace dangers.Nor have
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| | implementation and often not at a senior
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| machinery and type of work posed the only
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| | enough level to possibly make their
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| hazards. Workplace violence, whether
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| | efforts truly effective.Old Habits Die
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| instigated by striking workers seeking
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| | Hard, But Die They MustIt is time that
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| collective representation or employers
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| | our complacency feathers are ruffled for
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| attempting to curtail the efforts of
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| | good. If September 11th did not
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| "hotheads" and labor organizers have
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| | accomplish this in your organization then
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| frequently ignited violence in the
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| | be ready, because the next crises (and
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| workplace both for those involved as well
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| | there will undoubtedly be a next one)
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| as those who desired to distance
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| | will. Unfortunately, history has proven
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| themselves from the strife. Arson,
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| | without exception that every new weapon
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| sabotage, intimidation, threats, beatings
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| | or mode of destruction ever invented by
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| and even killings have too often been the
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| | man, has always, sooner or later, been
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| weapons of choice to both sides of
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| | put to devastating use. Even the
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| employment disagreements. Add to this
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| | ultimate crushing of the worldwide Al
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| the mayhem wrought by anarchists, radical
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| | Qaeda terrorist organization will not
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| political factions, competitors and, yes,
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| | insulate us from future despots and
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| guerillas and terrorists. The workplace
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| | maniacs. Vigilance is indeed the price
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| has frequently been a very dangerous
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| | of freedom for the citizen and government
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| place, a fact we often tend to overlook.
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| | as well as for the corporate
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| The need for workplace safety is not
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| | organization. September 11th was a
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| new.Accepting Reality: The first Step to
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| | watershed experience. The lesson to be
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| SecurityToday, we face a new and in some
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| | learned from it is not that massive acts
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| ways, much more complex and potentially
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| | of terror are possible, but rather that
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| far more dangerous scenario. Whether in
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| | they have emerged as part of the fabric
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| the form of a deranged current or former
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| | of life worldwide.We must realize that
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| employee armed with automatic weapons or
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| | what we have already experienced is not
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| terrorists with their meticulously
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| | the upper limit of what is possible or
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| planned and well funded covert
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| | even likely. Executive planners must
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| operations, either attack can be just as
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| | anticipate that as long as purely evil
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| surprising and the carnage every bit as
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| | people still exist anywhere on the face
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| real and terrifying. To counter these
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| | of the earth, at some point we will face
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| threats, along with the full spectrum of
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| | even more catastrophic events, possibly
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| more insidious, if less spectacular
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| | much larger on both a geographic and
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| dangers, we must understand and
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| | human scale, as well as in the resultant
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| acknowledge the dangers as well as
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| | long term effects of economic disruption.
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| establish appropriate preventative
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| | Armed with the explosion of technology
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| responses. We must also accept that we
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| | and our rapidly increasing reliance upon
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| can never adequately guard against every
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| | that technology in our homes, autos and
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| eventuality. To believe that we can make
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| | workplaces, just a few determined
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| the workplace completely "safe" is to
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| | individuals can at least temporarily
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| deny reality. There will always be
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| | bring a nation or continent to a
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| insufficient resources available to be
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| | standstill and inflict untold
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| committed for security purposes to make
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| | devastation.New Paradigms Require New
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| this dream possible. Furthermore, given
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| | Ways of RespondingGiven this new
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| the freedoms, privacy and civil liberties
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| | paradigm, everyone involved in
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| we so cherish, people today will not
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| | leadership, whether a safety and security
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| accept the regimen of restrictive and
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| | specialist or not, must commit these
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| totalitarian measures necessary for any
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| | issues to the forefront of their
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| attempt to ensure absolute security. In
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| | strategic thinking. To do so will
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| fact, even if such measures could be
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| | require a high level of personal and
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| implemented, they would undoubtedly
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| | organizational discipline. Other, more
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| trigger a new round of violence, on the
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| | urgent issues can easily crowd out longer
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| part of those incensed by such invasive
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| | range strategic concerns, especially with
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| tyranny.Given the fact that we cannot
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| | no new threats or attacks to rivet our
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| guarantee freedom from any and all acts
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| | attention and compel immediate responses.
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| of violence, sabotage and other misdeeds,
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| | When confronted with stark resource
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| the question becomes how are we to ensure
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| | limitations, we must be careful not to
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| the greatest possible measure of
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| | reduce our commitment to the generally
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| workplace safety and security for both
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| | "unseen" activities that comprise a well
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| our employees and the organization? To
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| | conceived and systematically implemented
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| properly respond to this question we must
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| | strategic, organization wide safety and
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| rethink our fundamental attitudes toward
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| | security commitment.Moreover, if we are
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| security. What are the primary threats?
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| | to take this commitment seriously and not
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| How far does the organization's
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| | just pay it the lip service traditionally
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| responsibility extend? It is certain
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| | accorded in most organizations, we must
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| that some trial lawyers seeking massive
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| | above all forever leave behind us the
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| damage awards for the families of airline
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| | "old school of thought" which relegated
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| victims will attempt to assert that the
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| | the issue to treatment as an
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| carriers bear greater responsibility for
| |
| | afterthought. Instead, we must create so
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| failure to properly screen passengers
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| | pervasive an awareness throughout our
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| prior to the September 11th attacks.
| |
| | organizations, that everyone thinks
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| However, do the airlines have an
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| | systemically about safety and security.
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| obligation to go beyond federally
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| | By systemically, I mean from the very
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| mandated standards? And if so, at what
| |
| | roots of the organization to its most far
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| point would these same lawyers argue that
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| | reaching operations, from strategic
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| the airlines interfere with passenger
| |
| | planning to the daily conduct of the most
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| rights of privacy and freedom from racial
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| | basic activities. It must be as much a
|
| or ethnic profiling?We Must First
| |
| | top-of-the-mind priority for the senior
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| Radically Change Our ThinkingToday,
| |
| | executives gathered at an offsite retreat
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| safety and security must no longer be
| |
| | planning the organization's future, as it
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| viewed as add on services, afterthoughts
| |
| | is for the janitorial and maintenance
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| to the way we operate. Instead, we must
| |
| | staff who are ever watchful for the
|
| think strategically as to how these goals
| |
| | suspicious package or security door left
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| are to become pervasive in all of our
| |
| | ajar.Our thinking and awareness must be
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| planning and operations scenarios. For
| |
| | equally multidimensional when it comes to
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| example, in those organizations that
| |
| | thoroughly assessing all of the avenues
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| employ security services, whether
| |
| | of threat and how best to combat them.
|
| employees or contractor staff, to what
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| | In America today we are keenly aware of
|
| management level is the decision making
| |
| | the threat of explosive bombs, but what
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| responsibility for the overall scope of
| |
| | about "cyber" bombs in the form of
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| these services delegated? Is this and
| |
| | maliciously planted computer programs
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| other safety and security functions
| |
| | fused to detonate at a predetermined time
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| included in the strategic planning
| |
| | event or the "employee or ex-employee"
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| activities of the executive leadership?
| |
| | bomb, unstable, seething with hostility
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| Probably not, unless the facility in
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| | and armed on an emotional hair-trigger to
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| question is a nuclear power plant and
| |
| | extract vengeance against the entire
|
| recent news reports indicate that even
| |
| | organization, executives, supervisors and
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| some of those corporations did not give
| |
| | co-workers alike.Today we must view our
|
| this issue the strategic weight that it
| |
| | world not from a mindset of paranoia, but
|
| should be accorded.Safety and security
| |
| | rather a realism and awareness of the
|
| are not band-aids to be applied at a very
| |
| | multitude of opportunities and
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| junior level of the organization.
| |
| | conversely, the ever present dangers that
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| Instead, every executive should include
| |
| | surround us. The appropriate response is
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| these considerations as important
| |
| | neither denial nor paralysis, but rather
|
| elements of their daily decision making
| |
| | a steadfast determination to pursue our
|
| processes. I venture that if you are in
| |
| | future with every ounce of vigor we can
|
| a public company, every significant
| |
| | muster, while at the same time
|
| decision is weighed beforehand at least
| |
| | understanding how each strategic decision
|
| in part by what the response will be from
| |
| | will impact the safety and security of
|
| the analysts and shareholders. Likewise,
| |
| | the public, our organization and its
|
| any major new corporate initiative is
| |
| | people.Copyright 2005 by John Di
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| reviewed by the legal department before
| |
| | FrancesJohn Di Frances is an
|
| public announcement. But who with the
| |
| | internationally
|
| requisite knowledge and experience
| |
| | recognized organizational
|
| "speaks" at the executive level to your
| |
| | legacy expert and professional
|
| organization's specific concerns of
| |
| | speaker.
|
