Posts by Dr. Marisa Randazzo, Ph.D.
Following California’s New Workplace Violence Laws Is Good for All Businesses
Workplace violence prevention rules will go into effect in California this summer, and Dr. Marisa Randazzo recommends companies across the country — not just those in the Golden State — consider incorporating the policies. This article was originally featured in Corporate Compliance Insights This year, California will become the first state to require most employers to implement…
Read More5 Strategies to Prepare Organizations for Presidential Election Disruption
The countdown to the US presidential election is well underway, and concerns about election-related violence and disruption are on the rise. For the first time ever, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Preventive Priorities Survey has identified a domestic threat – the growing risk of political violence around the U.S. – rather than an international conflict…
Read More5 Things California Employers Should Consider to Comply with Senate Bill 553
If you are an employer in California, you’ve probably heard about Senate Bill 553, the legislation requiring most California employers to take steps to prevent and respond to workplace violence and threats. After opposition from various business groups and labor unions prompted the removal of some controversial provisions, the bill passed the California legislature and…
Read MoreHow Empathy Can Help Prevent Violence in the Workplace and in Schools
This article was originally featured in Security Magazine. Over the past year, security personnel across a wide swath of sectors have reported that threats are increasing in volume, severity and/or in urgency. And many organizations are trying to figure out how best to handle this spike in threats. For some supervisors and C-suite leadership, their inclination is…
Read MoreTomorrow’s Security Teams Need a Female Talent Pipeline
I’ve worked in various roles within law enforcement and security, from positions in the U.S. Secret Service to campus public safety at a large urban university, to private sector security consulting. And while there have been significant advances in the field of security generally, there are still too few women, in professional roles, in both…
Read MorePreventing Workplace Violence: Early Identification and Intervention Go a Long Way
This article was originally featured on Campus Safety Magazine As workplaces are emerging from pandemic restrictions and returning to near-normal operations, corporate security and human resources professionals are facing some complex challenges. Many studies have shown workplaces are facing an increased volume of threats, including threats from those internal or otherwise known to the organization…
Read MoreHow to Stop a School Shooting: Using Pre-Incident Indicators to Know When to Act and What to Do
Ten years ago today, 20 children – all ages six and seven – and 6 adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Like the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary and so many other school shootings before and since, the Oxford High School shooting didn’t have to happen. But if you think this post is…
Read MoreGrowing Role of HR in Enhancing Workplace Security
Explore how Human Resources is partnering with security to foster a safer workplace culture. About a decade ago, one of my colleagues, Melissa Muir, was working in the courts as a young human resources (HR) manager and was preparing to terminate an employee. In her effort to minimize embarrassment to the employee, she agreed to…
Read MoreWhat Corporate Security Can Expect After the Uvalde and Buffalo Mass Shootings
In the past few weeks we have seen high-profile mass shootings in Buffalo, NY – at a Tops supermarket – and in Uvalde, TX – at Robb Elementary School. Although neither mass shooting occurred in a corporate workplace or against a CEO or other protectee, from decades of experience in behavioral threat assessment I know…
Read MoreThe Security Professionals’ Dilemma: Does Talking About Safety Make Employees Feel Unsafe?
Explore the balance of security communications in the workplace to foster a safer environment without instilling fear. Security strategy at American organizations can, at times, be something of a contradiction. More than half of respondents in the 2022 State of Protective Intelligence Report said their company waits until a catastrophe strikes to react rather than…
Read MoreBreaking the Bias for Women in Security
If you haven’t heard yet, the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is “breaking the bias.” So, I wanted to take a few minutes to share my thoughts on this year’s theme as well as my thoughts on women in the security industry more generally. I’ve been in the security industry for 27 years,…
Read MoreWhy the Insider Threat Will Motivate Cyber and Physical Teams to Collaborate More Than Ever in 2022
This article was originally featured in IFSEC Global The convergence of cyber and physical security functions reflects the increasing interplay of digital systems and the physical world, and the growing consensus that a gap in one realm leaves the other exposed. But silos between the two security functions continue to exist. In some cases, it’s…
Read MoreReining in Workplace Violence in Healthcare: What Strategies Work?
Discover effective strategies for mitigating workplace violence in healthcare settings from Dr. Marisa Randazzo. This article was originally featured in Security Magazine Two recent news stories –– an active shooter at a Philadelphia hospital, and the distribution of panic buttons to staffers at a Missouri hospital –– make public what many people in the healthcare industry already know: workplace…
Read MoreOvercoming Current Health and Safety Challenges in the Workplace
Take a look at these practical insights for strengthening safety protocols and creating a secure work environment. Feeling safe at work has taken on a whole new meaning over the past two years. The boundaries have expanded far beyond the badge swipe and have delved into the territory of hybrid work, health screenings and protocols,…
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