All too often, business officials may only associate the concept of workplace violence with a disgruntled employee being pushed to a critical tipping point at which point his or her frustration boils over into a violent incident.

While there certainly are plenty of instances in which this very scenario has occurred, it is crucial for corporate officials in any industry to recognize that often times, disputes that began in an employee's personal life can infiltrate the workplace as well.

For example, as previously reported on this blog, a Canadian citizen named Mirhashem Seyed-Fatemi stormed into a Starbucks at which his estranged wife was employed. But, when the employee's manager, Tony McNaughton, attempted to stop his advances, Seyed-Fatemi murdered him with a butcher's knife.

Considering the dangers presented to all staff members when domestic disputes spill into a working environment, Forest Financial Group – an employee benefits consulting firm – recently developed a division dedicated entirely to workplace violence prevention and intervention.

"Workplace and campus violence has become all too relevant and organizations must not only respond to keep its employees safe but more importantly have the training and program in place to help prevent violence," said Forest Financial Group's CEO Nicholas Gialamas in a press release. "It’s time we all step up and do something about it."

While this step will likely position Forest Financial to implement excellent workplace violence preparedness initiatives, developing an entire division may be extreme for smaller businesses without the resources or hiring power of a larger corporation.

For these companies, it would be wise to turn to a consulting firm that can assist business officials implement workplace violence initiatives into a business continuity plan. Taking this measure will help officials better understand policy development and implementation so that employees can be trained on threat management strategies.