Employers who address domestic violence can provide real help to victims and reduce the associated risks.
What affects employees affects their employers. With nearly one in three women reporting abuse at some time in their lives, domestic violence is likely to affect almost every workplace. The good news is that employers who address it can provide real help to victims and reduce the associated risks.
Domestic violence in the workplace affects the workplace when an abuser harasses an employee who is on the job, when a victim is absent because of injuries or less productive due to stress – or when violence occurs at the worksite. Helping employees who are experiencing abuse can be a real challenge for human resource professionals and managers – but it is a challenge worth meeting. Just as employers deal with substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, disability and sexual harassment, they can address domestic violence. Doing so begins with a strategic plan and written policies and procedures – and with a real commitment to offer support and resources to those in need.
When it comes to workplace solutions to domestic violence, one size does not fit all. Employers have their own policies, goals, structures, workforces and cultures, and must develop their own responses.
It is always a good idea for employers – especially small businesses with limited resources – to partner with local domestic violence experts. These community-based experts provide critical services to domestic violence victims and sometimes to batterers. Their expertise is applicable to the workplace, and employers are wise to engage them as they develop solutions.
For example, Jenesse Center, a thirty+ year old Los Angeles based domestic violence shelter program, utilized a grant from the California Endowment to launch a pilot workplace oriented campaign, South Los Angeles’ Domestic Violence Education Project: Stop the Hurting.
Attempting to impact how local businesses view and deal with domestic violence and related issues, Stop the Hurting is a two-year employment and workplace action plan/policy advocacy project designed to address high incidences of domestic violence within the South Los Angeles business community by raising awareness of the need for training and implementation of related employee assistance programs.
“It is our intent to effect fundamental change in policies, attitudes, and behaviors in the South Los Angeles business setting,” explained Jenesse associate director Adrienne Lamar. “We are aware that domestic violence carries over into the workplace and we want employers to know that there is a resource available to them to help their employees,” she said. “Domestic violence has an impact on the entire community and not just the person who is injured or killed.”
Article compiled in cooperation with the Family Violence Prevention Fund.
