Domestic violence, through its very name, tends to  conjure images of abuse happening behind closed doors and away from the rest of life.  But domestic violence doesn’t take a break between 9am-5pm.

• Intimate partner violence victims lose a total of nearly 8.0 million days of paid work—the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs—and nearly 5.6 million days of household productivity as a result of the violence.  (US Center for Disease Control)
• Over 75% of offenders used workplace resources at least once to express remorse or anger, check up on, pressure, or threaten the victim. (Maine Department of Labor and Family Crisis Services study)
• The health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking, and homicide by intimate partners exceed $5.8 billion each year. ((US Center for Disease Control))
• 94% of corporate security directors rank partner violence as a high security problem. (National Safe Workplace Institute survey)
• 74% of victims are harassed at work by their abuser. (Report on Costs of Domestic Violence)
• An estimated 24–30% of abused working women lose their jobs due to their domestic violence situation. (Prisoners of Abuse)
• Over 70% of United States workplaces have no formal program or policy that addresses workplace violence. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

While some may believe that employers have no right or responsibility in addressing domestic violence, they certainly have a role to play.  The financial costs of domestic violence are high, as is the security risk and the potential for abusers to use company resources to abuse.

But what can employers do?  Here’s a list of ways employers can help address this issue:

1. Create a workplace violence policy that specifically addresses domestic violence.  Tips for creating a policy can be found here.  Buffalo State College has a great example of a domestic violence policy.  Note that they will vary depending on the size of the employer, employer needs, etc.
2. Consider ways to help victims remain safe at work.  This may include getting an emergency contact for the employee in case they don’t show up to work, having a co-worker walk with them to and from their car, screening phone calls, posting a picture of the abuser in case they show up at the workplace, and making certain that no one gives out personal information.  This safety plan should be created by the victim, with support from the employer (i.e. don’t post a picture of the abuser without the victim expressing their desire to have this happen).
3. Consider ways to deal with employees who are perpetrating domestic violence.  This may include determining if there is an immediate safety risk, providing or supporting time-off for counseling, policies surrounding the use of workplace resources to abuse, and under what circumstances to suspend or terminate.
4. Provide training for employees.  Studies show that most employees believe workplace programs focusing on domestic violence help them understand and address the issue.  Training may include helping employees to recognize signs of an abusive relationship, processes for reporting domestic violence, tips on talking to co-workers about abuse, and how to access community resources.  Trainings should help employees feel empowered and ensure that they will not be “outed” or penalized if they seek help.

Does your workplace have a workplace violence policy?  How has your employer addressed workplace violence?  How do you think employers should respond to domestic violence?

Resources for  businesses/organizations wanting to address domestic violence:

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services of Whatcom County: Available for trainings of any length on workplace violence and community resources; free and confidential advocacy-based counseling for employees (available at the workplace or at DVSAS), safety planning for individuals and employers, assistance in debriefing trauma following an abusive incident in or affecting the workplace. Business Line: (360)671-5714, Hotline: (360)715-1563

Bellingham-Whatcom County Commission Against Domestic Violence: Assistance creating domestic violence policy and plans.

The Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence has tons of great resources, including statistics, tips for helping victims and abusers, safety planning in the workplace and more!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 12:38 pm and is filed under Domestic Violence Prevention. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.