CCAFV: Business Community Task Force

Stopping Family Violence in the Workplace Is Good Business

In fact, 91% of consumers think it is a good idea for companies to support prevention of family violence and 66% of senior executives believe their companies' financial performance would benefit from addressing domestic violence with employees.

How Does This Issue Impact Business?

The Facts:
	Employers lose 175,000 days each year due to family violence
	Boyfriends and partners commit 13,000 acts of violence against women in the workplace each year
	75% of employed victims are harassed on the job by their abusive partners
	Family violence costs employers between $3-5 billion annually, just in absenteeism
	37% of victims say abuse had an impact on their work performance, including missed promotions
	In a survey of senior executives, 47% said that domestic violence has a harmful effect on the company's productivity

Employers Say They Need Help Addressing the Crime of Family Violence
	A large majority of surveyed Employee Assistance Program providers have dealt with specific domestic violence situations; 83% had an employee with a restraining order against an abusive spouse or partner and 71% had an employee being stalked at work
	94% of corporate security directors surveyed rank domestic violence as a high security problem
	78% of human resource professionals say domestic violence is an issue in the workplace
	One third of senior executives think domestic violence has an impact on the bottom line, 40% say they were personally aware of employees and other individuals who were affected by family violence and 57% believe domestic violence is a major problem in society

Issues Related to Family Violence in the Workplace:
	Increased absenteeism
	Lower morale
	Higher health care costs
	Blemished corporate image
	Greater threats to security
	Heightened legal liabilities
	Elevated costs to replace employees

Areas of Focus in Responding to Family Violence at Work:
	Create a supportive environment
	Train supervisors to respond
	Develop human resource policies
	Implement Employee Assistance Programs and workplace safety plans to address the issue
	Assess security training and protocols
	Involve employee health services and wellness programs
	Address legal issues
	Share community resource information with employees
Here's How to Help Others
	Plan what you want to say, determine a good time and place to talk
	Ask questions like �How can I help? Is everything ok at home? What do you want to do about the situation?� It is important to listen without judgment, do not moralize or criticize. Give the person plenty of time to answer.
	Don�t say �Just get out� this is not a safe piece of advice. Safety planning is critical. Connect the person with someone who can help with safety planning such as a crisis hotline, local shelter, police department, security or human resources department. Leaving is a process, not an event!
	Let the victim know that you believe that verbal, emotional, or physical abuse in a relationship is never acceptable. Most importantly let them know that they are not alone.
	Provide information about local resources that can help, including internal company services available from the Employee Assistance Program if applicable.
Your role is to not to be a counselor or therapist and try to solve the problem. You are to help the person find resources to help. Recognize, Respond and Refer! The 3 R�s Recognize � recognize the signs of abuse Respond � respond to the situation appropriately Refer � refer the person to internal and external resources If you are in an emergency situation call 911