You've Got to Be Kidding!: How to Keep Your Job Without Losing Your Integrity

Suggestions for Countermeasures from Your Peers

Employee Security

• “Identify and monitor angry and disgruntled employees; you don’t want them going ‘postal,’” says Barbara S. Holman, an executive assistant from Spring, Texas. “This is why one of your prime security partners must be the human resource department.” Don’t hesitate to call the local police if you even suspect a disaster brewing. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
• Do not ever disclose your boss’s whereabouts—or the location of anyone else in your office—unless you know the person to whom you’re speaking, and you are sure that it’s appropriate to do so. An admin once told me of a phone call she received from someone whose voice she did not recognize. When he asked for her boss, she replied he was out of town until the following week, and her boss’s home was burglarized that same day! Simply explain your boss is “unavailable,” and follow that up with an offer to take a message.
• Establish a security protocol for employee terminations. The terminated employee is in (understandable) emotional turmoil; don’t give him an opportunity to do something foolish to hurt the company. Restrict access to systems, files, and so on immediately. It is common to escort dismissed employees directly to the door after the termination interview, thereby removing the temptation to sabotage computers, e-mail themselves confidential information, or create other mischief. The supervisor (or you) is perfectly capable of packing the box of personal ...