Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of Facilities Management Advisor.
Companies and government agencies have recently doubled down on return-to-office mandates. In September, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy revealed that employees would have to return to the office five days a week—ending their hybrid policy—starting in January of this year. In January, AT&T did something similar, mandating that its 149,900-person U.S. workforce also return to the office full-time. Other major employers like Boeing, Dell Technologies, JPMorgan Chase, UPS, and The Washington Post are following suit.
With the hybrid model ending for many, the shift of having more employees back in the office, along with the growing tensions and frustrations that many feel when being forced to return, can lead to more workplace violence. In fact, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, approximately 2 million American workers experience workplace violence annually.
By the Numbers
Two million American workers isn’t a small number. Recent research also shows that the number of workers returning to their offices is growing. In looking at an internal comparison of key security metrics from Dec. 5, 2023, to Feb. 24, 2024, versus the same period in 2024-2025, there was a 105.2% surge in protection incidences and a 33% rise in workplace violence and preventive risk assessment (WPV/PRA) requests, per Pinkerton. There has also been a 1,850% increase in executive protection program (EP) assessments and a 233% uptick in threat assessments.
In response to the increase, some states have made moves to help mitigate and get ahead of the issue by introducing legislation strengthening workplace safety. New York, for example, has introduced the Workplace Violence Prevention Act (Article 2, Section 27-b of New York State Labor Law), which requires public employers to develop and implement programs designed to prevent and minimize workplace violence. California has taken a similar approach, rolling out protections for employers by requiring them to develop and implement a workplace violence prevention plan.
But besides relying on state mandates, there are other things organizations can do to identify vulnerabilities and put stronger prevention plans in place.
A Patchwork Approach Exposes New Risks
Some companies’ security posture currently involves a patchwork or siloed approach to safety. That type of approach, where companies have a lack of security management at the organizational level, can leave them exposed to new risks. The main risk is that the organization is only operating from a reactive standpoint.
Other pitfalls to that type of approach are that if the security isn’t integrated, there isn’t an opportunity to be proactive. It is more of incident, resolution, incident, resolution, instead of incident causation. With that type of approach, there is a lack of cohesive security planning, and an inability to be prepared to handle the challenges of when tensions can translate into increased incidents of violence.
Take badge scans for example. Many companies think having a badging system is sufficient security, but, too often, the responsibility of that type of security falls to facilities personnel to watch the cameras. However, there is still no fundamental aspect of why that security is in place, and there are holes in its efficiency. It is just random and disjointed.
Modernizing the Integration of Security
Companies should aim to be proactive in recognizing potential threats and should strengthen workplace security by looking at it more from a holistic perspective. For example, from the facilities personnel perspective, considering redesigning common areas to reduce conflict points or integrating advanced access control systems can help ensure that surveillance and emergency response systems are integrated. Thinking about those types of moves in a more holistic way is a more cohesive approach that embeds security into every facet of operations.
Another effective move is to establish a “security council,” which also serves as a crisis management team in many aspects. For example, a CEO underwrites the committee, which is staffed with essential operational departments. The council talks about the security risks, can influence all the areas and departments, and they can develop policy around that and drive action plans.
For example, with finance, the security issue could be fraud; with HR, it would be the people and issues that come along with that; and so forth. Having all the right people in the room to help plan and implement will help ensure the security is integrated into the company as opposed to being a function of its own.
Overall, organizations—especially those with return-to-office mandates—will find themselves with new threats emerging in the workplace in the future. If not managed correctly, and if there isn’t a proactive and integrated security strategy, it can result in vulnerabilities in security practices. Companies need to include all decision-makers—from COOs to HR to facilities managers to legal heads—to really look at embedding security into the company to build a better, and safer, foundation for the future.
Having a third-party expert proactively assess current plans is highly recommended in this rapidly changing world. Such experts can help organizations get ahead of potential threats.
Tim Williams serves as vice chairman at Pinkerton, a global provider of corporate risk management services and solutions. In his role, Williams leverages more than four decades of security expertise to help organizations advance their corporate risk management strategies and initiatives.