Defusing Workplace Rage
I awoke the other day to the news that six more employees of the United States Post Office were tragically killed by a fellow worker. According to the Department of Labor and Industry, violence in the workplace is the 2^nd leading cause of death in the workplace. It seems that workplace violence is far removed from us but, it can and does appear all too quickly.

Chaplains become the first line of defense against workplace rage. As a neutral third party, chaplains have their hand on the pulse of the individual employee including their family situations. They are able to detect and defuse rage at the first sign long before it boils over. By becoming a trusted friend to the employee and keeping their conversations confidential the chaplain becomes a sounding board defusing negativism and rage. By helping the employee and their families solve personal and relational problems the employee has a healthier state of mind and becomes a much happier and productive worker. Follow-up on the employees that have been laid off or terminated is another preventive tool to defuse workplace rage. In dealing with terminated employees that may not be thinking coherently it becomes a determining factor to have someone there to interject rational views of why the situation happened and by offering kindness at this low point brings back a positive outlook to the company.