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Workplace violence security puts a trained officer on standby during terminations and layoffs, and sends officers fast when a threat is made at work. GRDX plans each one with your HR team, keeps the officer out of sight unless needed, and documents what happened. A supervisor answers 24/7, including the night before a hard meeting.
Why have an officer on standby during a termination?
Because the rare one that goes badly goes badly fast. Most terminations end with a signed paper and a quiet walk to the car. A few end with shouting, a damaged office, or a threat on the way out.
A standby officer is there for those few. Usually they sit in the next room and never step in. If voices rise, they're close enough to calm it before anyone gets hurt. Everyone else in the building may never know they were there.
How do you set up a standby for a termination?
We set it up with HR the day before or earlier, using these steps.
Timing helps. Many HR teams pick mid-morning early in the week so the person isn't leaving into a weekend alone, and so we have daylight in the parking lot. We'll share what we've seen work.
- HR tells us the time, location and anything known about the employee.
- We agree where the officer waits and the signal for them to step in.
- The officer arrives early, in uniform or business clothes, as you prefer.
- After the meeting, the officer walks the person out if needed and watches the lot.
- Anything that happened goes into a report for your HR file.
What changes for a layoff with many people?
Scale changes, and so does timing. A reduction in force can mean dozens of meetings in a day and a building full of upset people.
We add officers at entrances, the parking area and near the meeting rooms. Access badges are often turned off mid-morning, so someone has to be at the door when people return from lunch and can't get in. We plan for the second and third day too. That's often when the angry calls and drive-bys happen.
Remote staff get laid off by video call, and some of them still live nearby. If anyone among them has made worrying comments, tell us. Building access and a front desk briefing can be set before the call starts.
What should HR do right after a threat at work?
Call us and call the police if anyone is in immediate danger. Then save what you have: emails, texts, voicemails, names of witnesses.
After hours works the same way. The supervisor line answers at 2 a.m. just as it does at noon. We can cover the workplace the next morning, when the person who made the threat may show up, place an officer at the entrance a targeted employee uses, or walk them to their car for the days that follow. Coverage at a private home is a different arrangement we discuss case by case.
We can cover the workplace the next morning, when the person who made the threat may show up. We can also place an officer at the entrance a targeted employee uses, or walk them to their car for the days that follow. Coverage at a private home is a different arrangement and we'll discuss it case by case.
Call
(833) 350-4739 reaches a supervisor any hour.
Preserve
Keep messages and notes exactly as received.
Cover
We place officers at the doors and parking area.
Assess
Our team looks at the threat and next steps with you.
Who handles these situations for GRDX?
Officers on these posts are supervised by leaders who've handled crisis calls for decades. Elgin Barnes, who heads Special Services, carries FBI certification as a hostage negotiator and roughly three decades on the job.
De-escalation is a skill. It's built on calls that went right and calls that didn't. That's the experience we put in the room next to your HR manager.
Can we plan security for workplace threats before anything happens?
Yes. Some of our clients set up an arrangement before they need it, so the call on a bad day is short.
That usually means we know your buildings already, have walked the entrances and parking, and have the HR contact's number. If a termination needs a standby or a threat comes in at 4 p.m. on a Friday, there's no learning curve. We know where the officer should stand.
It also gives HR somebody to think out loud with. Not every situation needs an officer. Sometimes the right move is changing the meeting room, the time of day, or who's in it. We'll say that when it's true.
Questions
Can I get a security officer for an employee termination tomorrow?+
It depends on the time and location, but call right away. Our supervisor line is staffed around the clock and can tell you what can be arranged.
Will the employee know security is there?+
No, not unless you want them to. The officer usually waits out of sight and only steps in if things escalate.
Should the officer be armed for a termination?+
It depends on what's known about the person. Most standbys are unarmed; we talk through the risk with you before deciding.
Can you assess a threat made by a former employee?+
Yes. We review what was said and done, recommend coverage, and can work alongside your attorney and local police.
Do you work with our HR and legal teams?+
Yes. HR leads the meeting; we handle safety. Reports are written so your HR file and counsel can use them.
What does a standby officer cost?+
It depends on hours, location and armed or unarmed coverage. Pricing is given in writing before the date, and you won't be asked to sign anything when you first call.