Workplace violence is on the rise in our country. On an average working day, three people will be murdered on the job in the U.S. One million coworkers are assaulted, and more than 1,000 are murdered every year, according to the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Homicide is the second leading cause of death on the job, after motor vehicle accidents. What is more shocking than these statistics is the fact that half of these cases go unreported. Workplace bullying and violence must be dealt with seriously and swiftly.

The violence can be physical, but often it involves verbal aggression and abuse by a workplace bully. The murder of Annie Le may be the case of a workplace bully turned murderer. Even though we wish bullies would outgrow their behavior, many of them simply transfer their bully behavior to the work environment and probably at home too. The difference is that usually workplace bullies don't use their fists -- they generally use words and actions to intimidate their victims. Since the murder, the president of Yale University has said, "Yale will have a zero tolerance policy at work for harassing, violent, or threatening e-mails."

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