CASE #1

WHEN THE WORKPLACE BECOMES A

CRIME SCENE
On the morning of September 8, 2009, security cameras showed Annie Le, a doctoral
student in the Yale School of Medicine‟s Department of Pharmacology, entering the campus
building in which she worked as an animal researcher. When Le failed to return home that
evening, her roommates reported her missing to local police. Because security footage didn‟t
show Le leaving the building, authorities immediately closed it off, and Le‟s body was found five
days later, hidden inside a wall in a basement laboratory. She had been strangled. It was
September 13 – the day on which Le, 24, was to be married. On September 17, police arrested
Raymond Clark III, also 24, a lab technician who‟d been working in the building on the day that
Le disappeared. As of this writing, neither Clark nor the police have indicated any motive, but
New Haven police chief James Lewis is on record as saying, “This is not about urban crime,
university crime, [or] domestic crime, but an issue of workplace violence, which is becoming a
growing concern around the country.”

How much concern? In 2007, the last year for which there is reliable data, there were
more than 5,600 work-related deaths in the United States. Of these, 864, or 15 percent, were
due to assaults or other violent acts; homicides accounted for 628 deaths, or 11 percent of the
total, with murder passing “Contact with objects and equipment” to take over the number-two
spot in cause of workplace deaths (“Transportation incidents” remains number one). According
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were 7,000 workplace homicides nationwide
between 1997 and 2007, but it‟s important to remember that most of these resulted from
robbery or some other form of violent activity performed by third parties (such as customers or
strangers) rather than by coworkers, who were responsible for about 1,000 homicides during the
10-year span.

“That‟s a thousand too many,” admits Washington State University management

professor Tom Tripp, “but statistically speaking, it‟s rare,” he adds, given a workforce of 150
million. It‟s also important to remember that “workplace violence” covers a much broader
spectrum of behavior than physical violence. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) define workplace violence as “a physical assault, threatening behavior or verbal
abuse occurring in the work setting.” Thus “violence” in the workplace includes throwing or
pounding on objects, making statements intended to frighten or coerce, and stalking
(“threatening behavior”), as well as such nonphysical behavior as yelling, using profanity, and
verbal abuse. Incidents like these, however, are also increasingly common: In a recent survey of
7.1 million private U.S. businesses, the BLS found that more than 5 percent – more than
350,000 – had reported some form of workplace violence in the 12 – month period prior to the
survey.

Consider, for example, the form of workplace violence called bullying, which we
discussed in the Ethics box in Chapter 1, entitled “Do You Feel Like You Have A „Kick Me‟
Tattooed on Your Forehead?” A survey commissioned by the Workplace Bullying Institute
reveals that 37 percent of the U.S. workforce has been bullied, mostly by bosses, who account
for 72 percent of workplace bullies. Even though bullying is four times more common than
legally defined harassment, 62 percent of employers ignore it. Among the targets of bullying
behavior, 40 percent doesn‟t report it, and 45 percent suffer stress-related health problems.

Stress, of course, is a vicious circle: Such experiences as workplace abuse produce

stressed people and stressed people are more likely to commit workplace abuse. Or to put it
another way: Stress increases both negative emotionality and negative affectivity, and people
prone to such traits or moods are more likely to exhibit deviant behavior. Remember, however,
that workplace stress alone is rarely enough to prompt violent behavior – incidents of workplace
violence typically involve additional factors as well, such as behavioral or psychological
problems (e.g., substance abuse or depression) or life stressors outside the workplace (e.g.,
marital, family, or health difficulties) (see Chapter 7).

What about the case of Raymond Clark, who‟s been accused of Annie Le‟s murder? “We
may never know the exact motive,” admits Police Chief Lewis, because “there‟s only one person
who can tell us what the motive [was].” Investigators have, however, pieced together a few
clues from a combination of Clark‟s job description and his general behavior in the workplace.
There are two distinct groups of workers in the Yale lab. As a researcher, Annie Le conducted
medical experiments on animals, mostly mice. As a technician, Raymond Clark performed a
variety of tasks in support of the lab‟s research activities. Technicians come from a variety of
backgrounds – typically they‟re former veterinary technicians, laid off pharmaceuticals workers,
or new high school or college graduates. “They clean and maintain lab supplies and prepare
chemicals,” says one researcher. “It‟s a job. We don‟t have that much interaction with them.”

Hired out of high school in 2004, Clark was first assigned to the washing center, where
he scraped dirty cages and toted 40-pound bags of clothing and bedding. Eventually, he was
promoted to full-time animal technician, in which capacity he performed a number of more
responsible tasks. Animal technicians, for example, are in charge of ensuring that all the
necessary paperwork gets done and that all lab activities are properly documented. “There‟s a
certain stress that builds with the job,” reports veteran technician David Russell. “If there‟s
something wrong, you‟re the one who‟s on the hook.” A single bureaucratic or ethical lapse (an
unsanitary workplace or a dehydrated animal) could mean disciplinary hearings that take weeks
to resolve.
Animal technicians are also responsible for serving as advocates for the lab animals,
monitoring their health and seeing that they‟re treated according to the university regulations.
They‟re also responsible for responding to the green neon tags that researchers post to
schedule an animal to be euthanized – the technicians take them to the basement, lock them in
special cages, and turn on the carbon dioxide. “It‟s very easy to get attached to the animals,”
admits Russell, and technicians “definitely do get a little desensitized.”
Researchers, according to Russel, “tend to view us as janitors, but we‟re more than that.
We‟re policemen. We‟re there to make sure everything‟s done humanely and ethically.”
Technicians, for example, might remind a researcher to put on proper lab apparel or even chide
them for inappropriate research-related activities (such as clipping a mouse‟s tail to obtain a
DNA sample). Some researchers charge that Raymond Clark was a “control freak” and was
sometimes rude to researchers – including Annie Le – whom he regarded as careless in their
treatment of the animals. “He would berate them for minor infractions,” says one researcher.
“Everyone enforces rules, but he enforced them in an officious manner.” As of this writing,
Raymond Clark is being held on $3 million bail and awaiting trial.

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 CASE ANALYSIS
I. Title: Yale‟s School of Crime

II. View Point: HR Director and the Dean of Yale School of Medicine

III. Time Context: September 8, 2009 (case is still on-going)

IV. Problem Statement: How to improve the relationship of the employees of the
Yale School of Medicine

V. Statement of Objective: To avoid work-related violence such as any act of violence

against persons or property, threats, intimidation,
harassment, or other inappropriate, disruptive behavior
that causes fear for personal safety at the work site by
practicing interpersonal communication and respect among
employees in a matter of one semester.

VI. Areas of Consideration:

 Strengths:
1. Researchers and Technicians are all well-educated.
2. Researchers and Technicians are dedicated and passionate about
their respective professions.
3. If the dispute between the researchers and technicians is settled, there
will be improvement in the working relationship of the employees and
eventually their performance will also improve.
4. High productivity will lead to scientific advancements.

 Weakness:
1. The relationship between researchers and technicians is not good.
They are not in good terms with each other.
2. Researchers think highly of themselves with regard to their job
description.
3. Employees may experience paranoia in terms of security because of
what happened.

 Opportunities:
1. In terms of competition, if the problem between researchers and
technicians is settled, they will be more efficient and highly competitive in
providing services to clients.
2. If they improve the services, they will be able to compete with other
schools.
  Threats:
1. Other schools that are considered rival schools of Yale School of
Medicine may take advantage of the incident to market their own school.
2. The incident (crime) may create negative image to the school.
3. The government might interfere and let the school be closed.
4. The parents will no longer enroll their children in Yale School of
Medicine because of fear that their children may also be a victim.

VII: Assumptions: None

VIII: Alternative Courses of Action:

ACA 1: Re-organization of the duties and responsibilities (not necessarily

additional manpower) of the researchers and the technicians

ACA 2: Make written policies and guidelines for the employees to know
the scope of their respective responsibilities as well as their rights.

ACA 3: Create incentive programs for extended hours of working. Give

monetary and non-monetary benefits to those employees who render job
well done.

IX: Analysis:

ACA 1:

Re-organization of the duties and responsibilities (not necessarily

additional manpower) of the researchers and the technicians

Advantages Disadvantages

1. By reassigning duties and reorganizing the 1. Productivity may decrease because of

responsibilities of the employees, the Yale unfamiliarity of new duties, less time for old
School of Medicine will be able to continue to duties, and survivor's remorse.
provide a strong academic program for its
students. 2. Employees may disagree with the re-
organization of duties and responsibilities
2. Reassignment of duties may solve the because they still want to do their current
dispute between the technicians and duties and responsibilities and they have been
researchers because they will be given new used to it and been doing them for years.
tasks / duties to be done.
3. This may not solve the problem right away
3. Productivity may increase if the job duties because they will still be seeing each other in
that employees are unable to perform will be the office and the dispute will still remain.
reassigned to others who can do those duties.
 ACA 2:

Make written policies and guidelines for the employees to know the scope
of their respective responsibilities as well as their rights.

Advantages Disadvantages

1. These workplace policies, if properly 1. Preparation and approval of policy take long
observed, will ensure that they are necessary time to be completed.
to business operations.
2. To be able to let the employees know about
2. The policies and guidelines will clearly the new policies and guidelines, the HR would
address the types of conduct that might have to shell out additional expense for the
constitute unlawful discrimination against each dissemination of policies.
other and if these will be properly observed,
work-related violence will be prevented. 3. Employees may find it hard to comply with
new policies and procedures because they
3. If the employees will abide the rules and have already used to the old policies and
policies, there will be harmonious relationship guidelines.
among employees and will benefit the Yale
School of Medicine in the long run because of 4. Policies, if not strictly enforced, will still not
improved productivity of employees. be effective.

ACA 3:

Create incentive programs for extended hours of working. Give monetary

and non-monetary benefits to those employees who render job well done.

Advantages Disadvantages

1. Productive employees stand out, while the
areas lacking in less efficient workers become
more apparent. Time spent on a specific task
and the quality of individual work can be more
thoroughly assessed.
1. Productive individuals with a large number
of benefits or bonuses may become the
subject of jealousy from co-workers. This can
potentially produce a hostile work environment
that is uncomfortable to many.

2. Incentive programs will benefit efficient and 2. Incentive programs may also produce
productive employees. This also helps feelings of a lack of objectivity and even
motivates less productive employees to work favoritism, with management staff and will
harder and earn the same benefits. result to lower overall morale throughout the
workplace.
3. This can lead to increase in quality of the
services they render. 3. Employees may take ineligible over time.

4. Profitability of the school will also increase 4. Incentive plans can become time-
due to the improved productivity. consuming and costly to monitor.
X: Conclusion:

Variables:

 Cost Effectiveness – means economical in terms of tangible benefits produced

by money spent

 Timeliness – occurring at a suitable time; well timed

 Easy implementation – the leniency of the action to be carried out, executed, or

practiced

Rating System:

 1 being the lowest

and
 3 being the highest

Decision Matrix:

ACA Cost Timeliness Easy Total

Effectiveness implementation

ACA 1 2 1 2 5

ACA 2 3 2 3 8

ACA 3 1 3 1 5

Conclusion:

I Therefore conclude that ACA 2, which is the preparation of written policies and
guidelines for the employees to know the scope of their respective responsibilities as
well as their rights, will to improve the relationship of the employees of the Yale School
of Medicine .
XI: Plan of Action:

Activity Person Period Covered Budget

Responsible

Prepare of draft of the policies HR personnel / 1 to 2 weeks -

officer

The draft to be presented to the top HR personnel or 3 to 5 days -

HR Officer for approval and sign off Officer / Top HR
Officer

Translation of policy goals into HR personnel or 3 to 5 days -

operational rules and development Officer / Top HR
of guidelines for the program Officer

Coordination of resources and Employees / Head 3-4 weeks Minimum of

personnel to achieve the intended of each Department P100, 000 for
goals: / HR officer(s) huge number
1. Introduction of new policies of employees
through meeting / seminars
2. Sending communication letters
with attached newly approved
policies, to all employees

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 e
PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
(University of the City of Manila)

Intramuros, Manila

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Human Behavior in Organization

Case Study # 1
When the Workplace Becomes a Crime Scene

Submitted By:

Calma, Karen Z.

Submitted To:

Dr. Honorata M. Pagaduan