Every year, thousands of employees are impacted by intimate partner violence. Frightening stories about stalking, threats, assault, and violent death are in the newspapers on a regular basis. Organizations lose billions of dollars in absenteeism, productivity, health care costs, plunging morale, and bad publicity. In addition, the added costs of poor security, inadequate safety, and liability can be insurmountable. According to the Department of Labor/OSHA, 5.3 million women are abused yearly and 74% of these women are harassed at work by their abuser.

Domestic Violence Statistics: American Institute of Domestic Violence (2001) 4.1 billion dollars a yearis spent on victims requiring direct medical and mental health care services. Lost productivity and earnings due to intimate partner violence costs 1.8 billion dollars yearly. 78% of human resources directors identify domestic violence as a substantial problem. 60% of senior executives said domestic violence has a harmful effect on employee productivity. 1232 women are killed each year by an intimate partner. What can an employer do if an employee discloses domestic violence? Offer support and listen without judgment. Don’t say “why do you put up with it?” Understand that she may be feeling very embarrassed, ashamed Let her know the situation will be kept confidential unless employee safety or legal issues indicate otherwise. Consult with your employee assistance program or an expert in domestic/workplace violence. Ask if she has thought about a safety plan. Does she have a restraining order? Allow flexible use of benefits for court, medical care, or other services they and their children may need. Assess whether you can change their hours, phone extension, or transfer them to another location Work as a team with legal, human resources, security, and your EAP/Consultant. Contact your local police if appropriate May need to let security know, provide picture of abuser at front desk, etc. Have resource information available on domestic violence services, hotlines. Organizational Steps: Create a specific policy on domestic violence and train all employees on this policy. Be aware of local, federal and state laws pertaining to domestic violence in the workplace. Do a risk analysis of the organization. Evaluate and create safety and security plans. Create a crisis management team to handle all crises. This will provide consistency in times of crisis. Work with your employee assistance program to create a process to handle crisis situations Make sure your benefits work for these victims. Provide a culture of respect and confidentiality. Have a relationship with your local police as well as related resources in your community. Consult with an expert on domestic/workplace violence as many of these situations can be very complicated and dangerous.

What are some of the signs that indicate an employee may be experiencing intimate partner violence? Visible injury Unhappy and pregnant (domestic violence escalates when the woman is pregnant) Sporadic or sudden vacation Depressed, tearful Talks about property being destroyed (car, pets, other valuables). Unfocused, preoccupied Poor performance Emotional/physical problems Considers resignation Chronic stress, anger Fearful, always looking over her shoulder Engages co-workers in problem Easily startled Frequently absent Talks about being stalked Hostile phone calls, emails, fax from abuser (sometimes relentless) Abuser may show up at workplace To find out more about Domestic Violence and other issues regarding conflict in the workplace, please contact Donna Scimia at Scimia Consulting: 3 Church Street, #2-0 Pleasantville, NY 10570 Phone: (914) 747-2960 dscimia@scimiaconsulting.com www.scimiaconsulting.com Donna Scimia hosts PCTV business talk show “Taming the Cubicle Jungle” at www.PCTV76.org. See her show on Domestic Violence.

Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV 2005)
Between July and September 2005, CAEPV polled 1,200 full-time employed adults across the US in the first-ever national benchmarking telephone survey regarding domestic violence and its impact on the workplace. Among the major findings were that 66% of those surveyed indicated they were not aware of their employer having a
workplace domestic violence policy, 44% of full-time employed adults surveyed personally experienced domestic violence's effect in their workplaces, and most remarkably, 21% of full-time employed adult respondents (men and women) identified themselves as victims of intimate partner violence.

Sixty-four percent (64%) of victims of domestic violence indicated that their ability to work was affected by the violence. Among key causes for their decline in productivity, victims noted "distraction" (57%); "fear of discovery" (45%); "harassment by intimate partner at work (either by phone or in person)" (40%); fear of intimate partner's unexpected visits" (34%); "inability to complete assignments on time" (24%); and "job loss" (21%).

Regarding co-workers as victims, 31% of respondents felt "strongly" to "somewhat obliged" to cover for a victim of domestic violence by performing his or her work or offering excuses for his or her absence, 27% reported "extremely frequently" to "somewhat frequently" having to do the victim's work, and 25% resented the victim because of the effect of their situation on the workplace. Finally, 38% of respondents were "extremely" to "somewhat concerned" for their own safety when they found out a co-worker was a victim of domestic violence.

Contact:
Donna Scimia, President
Scimia Consulting Group, Inc.
Sound Solutions for Workplace Conflict
Phone: (914) 747-2960
Email: dscimia@scimiaconsulting.com
Website: www.scimiaconsulting.com
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