Responding to Hostile Employees

Andre Bing shot and killed six people and wounded others
at a Walmart where he worked in Chesapeake, Virginia

"He was the manager that everybody had something to say about."

Quote about Andre Bing, the manager at Walmart who shot and killed six people and wounded others.

Bing himself had admitted to at least one person that he had anger problems. There were reports of hostility. That was part of Bing's reputation. Were corrective measures being taken?

As we regularly see, the signs were there portending danger. It might take a lot in our minds sometimes to believe someone might become aggressive or kill but leaders have to stop playing with fire.

Employees can always speak up, even if they are met with dismissiveness, which disturbingly happens often.

Story: years ago I worked in an office where the stress really got to a male co-worker. He was usually one with a smile on his face, friendly, socially pleasant and agreeable but he was furious about understaffing. Most of us were bothered by it.

He finally made a comment about coming in one day/night and shooting up the place. He was reported and immediately fired.

No long thereafter, later saw him at another place we both worked and he said, with a smile as usual, that he didn't mean it.

Honestly, I believed him. But he said it. He knew better. He paid the price as he should have paid.

Thankfully he never went back to the office and caused harm.

The company did the right thing in immediately getting rid of him, to protect employees, protect the business and its reputation and protect against legal responsibility and financial judgment. And maybe also important, protect against lifelong remorse.

You don't play with fire. You treat it as an emergency and mitigate risk promptly and fully.

Not many people enjoy crisis response. It's dangerous, draws criticism and costs. You can greatly lessen the chances you will have to respond to intense anger and consequences by being bold in responsibility.