Dying To Work

Priced, unfortunately, for corporate clients, this 7-tape series on violence in the workplace mixes the blatantly obvious, a lot of common sense, and some solid advice into a reasonably effective staff training series (at least based on the two episodes we viewed). Opening with an annoying computer graphics sequence in which a video arcade style gun moves from room to room shooting real people, the initial episode (The Problem) tossed a barrage of statistics out, followed by interviews with law enforcement and mental health professionals concerning the possible causes of increased violence in the workplace (economy, work environment, media, domestic violence spilling over into the workplace, the proliferation of guns, problems with the criminal justice system, and the society at large). Despite the ominous sounding narration and the pounding drum segues between segments, there's just not much depth you can reach in 16 minutes on any one of these issues, let alone all of them. The fourth program, What Employees Can Do, at 28 minutes, offers a little more meat. The program encourages employees to recognize and report potential problems ranging from strangers in the workplace to employees who bring weapons to work (no duh). Likewise, in the segment on adopting safety strategies, viewers are encouraged to be careful in and around elevators (information which is readily available in excellent common sense safety programs priced under $30), and to "treat customers like you want to be treated" (information which is readily available on any of a dozen different Care Bear episodes). The final two segments on de-escalating tense situations and being prepared for a possible violent encounter are better. Since the price is out of the solar system for most libraries, the overall worth of this series is something of a moot point. Still, for those libraries who can afford it, the information on these programs may help to raise awareness about the issue, and may therefore be worthwhile for larger business collections. Recommended, with reservations. Other titles in the series are: Victims & Losses, Perpetrators, What Employers Can Do, What Supervisors Can Do, and What Security and Law Enforcement Can Do. (R. Pitman)