Stated Threats
One of the most important behaviors that employees should recognize and report are stated threats of violence. Stated threats fall closer to physical violence, injury, and death at the end of the Johns Hopkins Continuum of Disruptive Behaviors at Work. Stated threats, whether direct or indirect, express an emotional, sexual, psychological, or economic message of future danger, and they require early action for intervention.
The ASIS International and the Society for Human Resources Management Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention Standard describes three different types of stated threats:
- A direct threat – “I’m going to kill you!”
- An indirect threat – “I’m going to make sure that you get what you deserve!”
- A conditional threat – “If he fires me, I will kill him!”
Stated threats should be reported whether they are direct or indirect so that they don’t escalate and cause a greater risk of harm to faculty, staff, students, and the community. Johns Hopkins takes all stated threats seriously whether or not they're intended as a figure of speech. Contact your supervisor, manager, academic advisor, human resources professional or security who should notify a member of the multidisciplinary Risk Assessment Team either in person, by phone, or using the Report a Threat or Risk form.
If at any time you are concerned for your safety and require an immediate response, contact Security or dial 911.
Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System have adopted policies that call for zero tolerance of violent behavior, threats, bullying, and intimidation. Johns Hopkins will not permit employment-based retaliation against anyone who, in good faith, brings a complaint of workplace violence or who speaks as a witness in the investigation of a complaint of workplace violence.
