The Phoenix business community has already experienced several tragedies, with the first workplace shooting of the year in January, and the most recent incident involving a personal relationship issue erupting into another workplace shooting. Though the circumstances leading to these violent outbreaks differ, business owners and human resources professionals can learn from them and be prepared to prevent similar situations.

On Wednesday, June 5, expert speakers Dr. James Turner and Mountain States Employers Council (MSEC) staff attorney Dave Dixon will share a series of interactive vignettes designed to help employers to respond promptly, effectively and appropriately to inappropriate workplace behaviors that create disruption in the workplace, while also minimizing risks related to unlawful discrimination under the ADA, even as disability claims continue to rise. The workplace violence discussions and other significant employment and labor law trends and changes are part of this year’s Employment Law Update at the Sheraton Crescent Hotel, 2620 W. Dunlap Ave., in Phoenix.

While violent behavior can manifest for many different reasons, mental illness is often a root cause. Employers must discern between abnormal but harmless behavior and the signs of a violent progression. MSEC, a leader in human resource and employment law services, helps employers understand the legal and psychological aspects of mental illness; identify warning signs of aggression; and ward off or respond to escalated incidents.

“Whether in the workplace, or society-at-large, failure to effectively manage conduct that may or may not be related to mental illness may bring consequences from simple organizational inefficiencies to the more tragic and violent consequences we have all too frequently seen,” said Dixon.

For more information about MSEC’s services or the Employment Law Update, visit www.msec.org.

For 70 years, MSEC has hosted educational events such as the Employment Law Update for employers throughout the Western United States to maintain productive employer/employee relationships and to build effective, successful businesses.