According to a new book, violence prevention initiatives should be stemming from the c-level suite

The importance of corporate initiatives for workplace violence prevention

It may be easy for some business owners to become complacent regarding violence in the workplace. However, such complacency would be misguided, with reported instances of violent employee behavior becoming more and more frequent.

According to a 2008 report from the U.S. Bureau of Statistics, 2 million Americans are victims of workplace violence each year, with two people killed and 87 injured each day.

When an employer has not experienced such an incident firsthand though, corporate violence prevention programs may fail to be considered for a company's business continuity plan.

But, according to the book "Potential: Workplace Violence Prevention and Your Organizational Success," released in December 2011 by author Bill Whitmore of AlliedBarton Security Services, it would be shortsighted for an employer to adopt the perspective that a workplace is immune to a violent incidence.

"There's a direct connection between engaged leadership, workplace security and organizational success, regardless of your product or service," said Whitmore in an article for The Huffington Post.

Citing psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Whitmore states that humans have the basic need of feeling safe and secure. Therefore, when employers spearhead violence prevention initiatives, they are perceived as plugged into conditions facilitating employee well-being, which can in turn generate higher levels of employee morale and productivity.

Moreover, a disgruntled employee will likely be dissuaded from acting on violent predispositions when preventative measures are put into effect, the article states.

Understanding the importance of violence prevention programs stemming from the C-level suite, employers seeking more information on how to institute a successful violence prevention program for their business should take steps to attend the Continuity Insights Management Conference 2012 in Scottsdale, Arizona. At the conference, certified business continuity consultants will present A Workshop On Emerging Trends And Approaches: Integrating And Collaborating Resources In Preventing Violence In The Workplace, providing employers with in-depth knowledge of the preventative measures they can deploy to facilitate an optimally secure workplace.