Literally Going Ballistic. A Frightening Workplace Tragedy.

Manchester, Connecticut

So there's this truck driver Omar S. Thornton (fans of "The Wire" note this) who had been stealing beer from the distribution company he worked for. He hated working there, he even suggested to his girlfriend that he had been the victim of racist harrasment. Walking into the office at 7 AM, Omar knew he was in for a doozy, seeing as it was a disciplinary meeting to talk about the video tapes which document his booze burgling.

Upon being presented with the decision to resign or be fired, Omar pulled out a gun and open fired, moving through the warehouse. The New York Times reports that Omar killed 8 employees- 6 truck drivers, a drivers' union rep and one company executive- and then himself. I wish I could be flippant about it, but when you think that these truck drivers Omar shot were just there at that early morning hour to do there job and go home, it's really nauseating.

There are so many terrible workplaces out there. I can't help but wonder what small changes every employer and employee could make tomorrow to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again. I'm a major advocate for thanking co-workers (even if they are just doing their job), but I think my small change will be using people's names.