Trauma happens in the blink of an eye. One moment you are engaged in the exceedingly ordinary tasks that often make up the bulk of a comfortable workday, the next you are confronted with a life or death scenario. In the case of a workplace robbery that dynamic takes on a decidedly personal feel. Unlike critical incidents that involve a natural disaster or a machinery malfunction, a robbery involves the direct interaction of a perpetrator specifically targeting an individual or group to be the recipients of their threats or acts of violence. The FBI Uniform Crime Report identified 7,272 bank robberies alone in 2006. Of that number, 1,855 incidents involved a firearm and over 4,000 involved the passing of a threatening note. Each one of those events represents an employee who, at that moment, did not know if they would live or die.

As a result, employees who have been involved in workplace robberies may experience a greater sense of victimization, cycling between a sense of helpless fear to rage at the perpetrator to blaming themselves or their employers. Bank Tellers in particular often report feeling that they "should have done something" to stop the event, even though company policies clearly state that employees should not attempt to antagonize or stop the criminals involved. While bank robbery is not considered a personal crime but a crime against the organization, many tellers take it very personally. In this regard bank tellers are not unique as many employees of convenience stores, retail settings, and restaurants express similar reactions following a robbery.

In this edition of PracticePoints we are featuring two resources that we believe every CCN Specialist will find valuable as they respond to incidents of workplace robbery. While the crime itself may not have been preventable, the provision of a compassionate competent response is certainly within our power. Those employees deserve nothing less.

Best,