Domestic Violence in the Workplace
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the economic burden of domestic violence in the U.S. at $5.8 billion per year in medical costs and lost productivity. Victims of severe domestic violence lose nearly 8 million days of paid work – the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs – and almost 5.6 million days of household productivity each year.
Domestic violence affects the work performance of victims, perpetrators and co-workers.
Victims miss work or experience reduced productivity due to the health effects of domestic violence, or due to the controlling behaviors of their abusive partner, or to handle legal issues arising from the domestic violence.
- 50-85% of abused women miss work because of domestic violence, and over 60% report being late to work due to domestic violence
- 23% of women employees report some work performance impact as a consequence of domestic violence at some point in their lives
Perpetrators of domestic violence place a burden on the workplace because they may:
- make costly and dangerous mistakes as a result of perpetration
- use company phones, e-mail, and vehicles in order to perpetrate
- use paid work time in order to attend court related to perpetration
Forty-one percent of perpetrators report that they experienced job performance problems due to domestic violence.
Co-workers of victims and perpetrators are also affected, in terms of their own productivity, or due to safety issues.
- Two-thirds of employees have had at least one encounter with domestic violence in the workplace in their career
- 19% of men and 32% of women report that the domestic violence of a co-worker directly affected their own work performance at least once in their careers
- More than 1 in 20 employees report that a co-worker’s domestic violence victimization directly involved them with the perpetrator and/or contributed to fear for their own safety
Several models have been developed for a comprehensive workplace response to domestic violence. One model, developed by the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV), includes the steps listed here.
• Multidisciplinary team to oversee the process
• Corporate policy addressing intimate partner violence
• Training of managers and employees
• Regular communication to employees to build awareness
• Help from employees to establish a violence-free workplace
• Communication to community, important stakeholders in the company’s industry, and other organizations
Just like every other workplace, domestic violence affects male and female Kaiser Permanente physicians, medical staff and employees.
In order to raise awareness about the effects of domestic violence on the KP workplace, the silentWitness display was developed. This exhibit is made up of powerful stories written by KP NCal physicians, medical staff and employees who survived domestic violence. The display is accompanied by a brochure which includes information on specific resources for Kaiser Permanente physicians, medical staff and employees. Other events and activities designed to raise awareness about the impact of domestic violence among the Kaiser Permanente workforce generally accompany the exhibition of the display. As the display and accompanying activities moved through the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region in 2005, visits to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for domestic violence issues increased each quarter. To read more about the silentWitness display, click here
To read more about the silentWitness display, click here>>
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