An Unfortunate Trend

In February 2019, a laid-off employee opened fire inside a factory , killing five of his coworkers. It isn’t the first time it has happened. Sadly, it’s highly unlikely it will be the last time. It’s a common misconception around managers and business owners to assume that an employee becomes disgruntled only in the extreme situations that make headlines. The best way for your business to avoid dealing with a disgruntled-employee-turned-workplace-violence situation is for your business to be proactive. By recognizing the early signs of a disgruntled employee, you will be able to quickly and efficiently respond and mitigate additional issues.

Employee Happiness

A happy employee makes a thriving organization. To put these words into perspective, a study by Social Market Foundation revealed that happy employees are up to 20% more productive than unhappy workers . Years of research demonstrated that happiness positively affects every business and educational aspect, with a boost of sales by 37%, increase of productivity by 31%, and sharp accuracy on tasks by 19%. So, what does it mean to be happy at work? In his book, The Truth About Employee Engagement , Patrick Lencioni talks about three elements: the importance of who you are and that people know your name; the significance of the work you perform; the progression of your performance that contributes to company’s success.

Signs of a Disgruntled Employee

On the other side of the spectrum resides an unhappy employee. Being able to identify the early signs of a disgruntled employee will help you avoid escalated situations and a potential liability to the company. Consider some of the following signs that may indicate you’re dealing with a disgruntled worker:

• – Lack of motivation and involvement
• – Excessive breaks, apparent tardiness
• – Negative attitude
• – An overt pursuit of other work, or unreasonable complaining about the job
• – Negative feedback from teammates
• – Strained workplace relationships, verbal abuse
• – Comments about acts of violence; remarks about issues in personal life or financial issues

Some of these may also be the signs of many serious issues.

The Next Steps

Identifying that you have a disgruntled employee at your business is only half of the battle. It’s essential to address the situation accordingly. There are several tactics that will help you handle a disgruntled employee at your business:

• Act quickly—As a business owner or manager, it is your responsibility to identify and address any issues at your business ASAP. If the behavior warrants termination, you also need to terminate immediately. Have everything organized so that the employee has no reasons to return to the office.
• Approach the situation with empathy—When approaching a disgruntled employee, do so to understand the motive and what caused the distress.
• Be stern—Do not tolerate violent behavior. Discuss all aspects of the situation and clearly communicate any repercussions if the behavior continues.
• Document the behavior—Keep official documentation of the demeanor, conversation, and disciplinary actions. If there is another issue with this employee going forward, it is important that you have documented proof for previous incidents.
• Keep it confidential—Discuss the situation with other members of management and those directly involved.

However, despite your best efforts, a situation may not always be mitigated. In this scenario, you need to develop an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for your business. Within your EAP, you should have workplace violence training to make sure that all employees have accurate information on how to handle a violent situation. By emphasizing clear communication and honesty, you can consistently strengthen the employee experience.

Second only to large-scale natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires, winter storms are among the greatest risks to business continuity in the United States.

For organizations with a minimal threshold for operational downtime, the need for rigorous business continuity testing and a fail-safe recovery plan is critical.

Overview:

A cold storage manufacturer with operations in the Midwest faced the constant threat of winter storms disrupting their business. With perishable goods requiring precise temperature control, even a short-term power outage or supply chain disruption could lead to devastating losses. Recognizing the importance of preparation, the organization partnered with Agility Recovery to conduct a series of business continuity tabletop testing exercises.

The Challenge:

The manufacturer’s facilities relied heavily on backup power systems to maintain refrigeration during outages. However, their leadership team wanted to go beyond just ensuring their generators were operational. They needed to:

• Evaluate their overall preparedness for extended outages caused by severe winter weather.
• Ensure effective communication with employees and drivers during emergencies.
• Guarantee a steady fuel supply to keep generators running and maintain delivery operations.

Agility Recovery’s Solution:

Through Agility’s tabletop testing services, the manufacturer was able to simulate a worst-case winter storm scenario. These exercises brought key stakeholders together to walk through their emergency response and identify gaps in their continuity plan.

What the Testing Revealed:

• Emergency Notification System Gaps: The exercise exposed a significant gap in the company’s ability to communicate with employees, drivers, and stakeholders in real time during an emergency. Without a centralized notification system, relaying critical updates on road conditions, power outages, and delivery delays would be chaotic and inefficient.
• Fuel Supply Vulnerabilities: While the facility’s backup generators were functional, the testing revealed no formal plan to secure fuel deliveries during prolonged outages. With roads potentially closed or delayed due to snow and ice, this left their refrigeration and delivery vehicles at risk of running out of fuel, jeopardizing operations and inventory.

Actionable Results:

Following the tabletop exercise, the manufacturer partnered with Agility Recovery to:

• Implement an emergency notification system that ensures timely, accurate updates to all employees, drivers, and key partners during an outage.
• Establish a fail-safe backup fuel solution by identifying alternate fuel suppliers and securing priority agreements for emergency deliveries.

The Outcome:

After implementing these solutions, the manufacturer is now confident in their ability to:

• Maintain continuous communication with employees and stakeholders during winter weather events.
• Avoid fuel shortages and keep operations running smoothly, regardless of storm severity.
• Minimize risks to inventory and delivery timelines, ensuring their customers receive uninterrupted service.

As a result, the organization has strengthened its resilience against winter storm disruptions and is better prepared to safeguard its critical operations and perishable goods.

Agility’s tabletop testing opened our eyes to vulnerabilities we hadn’t even considered. Their expertise helped us close those gaps, and now we’re confident in our ability to face winter storms head-on.

Operations Manager

Ready to test your resilience?

Agility Recovery’s tabletop testing services can help uncover gaps and refine your business continuity plan. Let’s build your readiness together.

A multi-location long-term care (LTC) facility in Florida provides critical care to elderly and medically vulnerable patients. With Florida’s high risk of hurricanes, flooding, and severe storms, combined with the increasing threat of cyberattacks, the organization faced dual challenges in protecting its operations.

The facility must comply with strict healthcare regulations , including:

• HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) for patient data security
• HITRUST for cybersecurity best practices
• CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule for disaster resilience

While the facility had disaster recovery and cybersecurity measures in place, leadership realized they needed a   more proactive, integrated approach to ensure regulatory compliance and improve overall resilience.

The Challenge: Addressing Cyber & Natural Disaster Risks

The LTC facility identified three major risks:

1. Cybersecurity Threats: Ransomware attacks targeting patient records and medical devices.
2. Natural Disasters: Hurricanes causing power outages, flooding, and operational disruptions.
3. Regulatory Compliance Gaps: Meeting CMS, HIPAA, and HITRUST requirements for both cybersecurity and emergency preparedness.

Previously, the organization relied on annual audits and manual penetration testing, but that left them vulnerable between testing cycles. They also conducted emergency drills but lacked a structured, expert-led tabletop exercise program to integrate cybersecurity and disaster response.

The Solution: PTaaS & Tabletop Exercises for Continuous Preparedness

To strengthen security and disaster resilience, the facility partnered with Agility Recovery to implement a dual approach: 1. Continuous Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) for Automated Cybersecurity Monitoring

• Weekly security scans identified vulnerabilities in EHR systems, medical devices, and third-party software.
• Automated compliance reports simplified HIPAA and HITRUST audit preparation.
• Real-time alerts helped IT teams remediate security risks before they became incidents.

2. Tabletop Exercises Led by an Agility Certified Business Continuity Planner

• Quarterly tabletop exercises simulated hurricanes, cyberattacks, and power outages.
• Cross-functional teams, including clinical staff, IT, and leadership, participated in real-world scenario testing.
• Exercises identified gaps in disaster response and cybersecurity incident plans.

3. Integrated Business Continuity & Cybersecurity Strategy

• The Agility Business Continuity Planner helped the facility update and refine its emergency response plans.
• Cybersecurity risks were incorporated into the overall disaster recovery framework.
• Post-exercise debriefs provided actionable recommendations to improve response time and decision-making.

Results: A Resilient Long-Term Care Facility Protected Against Natural Disaster and Cyberattack Interruptions

Since implementing continuous PTaaS and structured tabletop exercises for common regional events like hurricanes, flooding, and power outages, the LTC facility has achieved:

• 100% compliance with HIPAA, HITRUST, and CMS emergency preparedness requirements.
• Zero unpatched high-risk vulnerabilities in EHR and patient data systems.
• Improved emergency response times for hurricanes, power outages, and cyber incidents.
• Better staff preparedness through hands-on training and incident simulations.

Key Takeaways for Healthcare Organizations

For long-term care facilities in high-risk regions like Florida, a proactive approach to cybersecurity and disaster recovery is essential. Combining automated penetration testing with expert-led tabletop exercises ensures that both cyber and natural disaster risks are addressed. ✔ Continuous security validation with PTaaS to protect patient data and IT systems. ✔ Scenario-based training to prepare staff for real-world threats. ✔ Seamless compliance with HIPAA, HITRUST, and CMS requirements. Being prepared is non-negotiable. Secure your facility, protect your patients, and ensure compliance with Agility Recovery’s tabletop testing and cyber resilience solutions .