Domestic Violence Workplace Policies

Effective Practice

The implementation of workplace policies that address the problem of domestic violence has the following potential impacts:

• An increase in staff productivity and morale

• Greater awareness of abuse prevention and intervention strategies

• Improvement in workplace security

• Enhancement of the well-being of staff affected by domestic violence

Implementation

Domestic violence workplace policies can be initiated by management or line staff and will depend on the organizational structure to some extent.  The following checklist can be used as a guide to implementing a domestic violence workplace policy.

Step 1. Create Interest

• Work with pre-existing committee or create a new committee.

• Form a partnership with Human Resources

• Assign tasks with deadlines

• Adapt policy to workplace “culture”

• Balance needs of business (organization, costs) and individuals (safety, quality of life)

Step 2. Research Workplace Domestic Violence Policies

• Collect and review sample policies, resources, state laws, local policies, community resources

• Highlight key policy components you would like to replicate

• Learn definitions of “domestic violence”

• Summarize research results

• Prepare to discuss policy implementation with HR and management

Step 3. Engage Human Resources

• Ask senior human resources staff to participate or lead policy development effort

• Make policy development a collaborative process

• Assign tasks and timelines

Step 4. Draft the Policy

• Use broad social definitions

• Draft key policy elements to include purpose, definitions, and policy statement

• Write FAQs and answers based on your workplace

• Consider ways in which the organization can be flexible

• Work with safety experts to develop a safety plan

• Consider language to decrease victim’s shame and increase participation

Step 5. Gain Support

• Work with security director/facilities manager to enhance safety

• Gain buy-in from staff

• Ask CEO to publicly endorse policy

Step 6. Train Staff

• Encourage mandatory training for all staff

• Hold a special session for supervising staff

• Bring in a local service provider with expertise in domestic violence to conduct staff training

• Determine length, content and key topic areas

• Use resources to augment training

• Evaluate the training and revise based on evaluation results

• Institutionalize the domestic violence policy

History of Domestic Violence Workplace Policies

Domestic violence knows no age limits; it is colorblind, time-insensitive, and immune to social, spatial or economic boundaries.  Although men may be victims of domestic violence, it more typically affects women.  Nearly one-third of American women have been or will be physically or sexually abused by an intimate partner.^[1]  Each year, intimate partners commit 13,000 acts of violence against women in the workplace, with murder being the leading cause of on-the-job death among women.^[2]  The consequences for employers are staggering.  In a study from 1990, domestic violence was estimated to cost U.S. companies between $3 billion and $5 billion a year in lost time, increased health costs, higher turnover, and lower productivity.^[3]

Domestic violence workplace policies are a relatively new addition to both public and private employers.  In 1996, the first Annual Corporate Conference on Domestic Violence was held to focus the attention of the business community on the effects of domestic violence on the workplace.  A number of states have also implemented domestic violence workplace policies.  For example, in 2000 the New York State Unified Court System adopted a domestic violence employee awareness and assistance policy, stemming from the recommendations of a state domestic violence advisory committee.  Only a handful of courts and state justice systems have adopted similar policies and implemented staff training.  While an increasing number of corporations and government entities are becoming aware of the importance of domestic violence workplace policies, such policies continue to be rare—about 5 percent of companies have some sort of domestic violence policy.^[4] 

Evaluations

Domestic violence workplace policies, combined with staff training, should increase levels of staff awareness and familiarity with local community services.  Given the high costs of domestic violence to the employer, domestic violence policies offer an affordable opportunity to address a particular social ill.  However, no formal evaluations have been carried out to assess the costs and benefits of workplace domestic violence policies, or their impact on the safety of those affected by violence in the home.

Contacts

Brenda K. Uekert, Senior Research Associate and Chair of the Family Violence Community of Practice, National Center for State Courts, 757-259-1861, buekert@ncsc.dni.us.

Madelynn Herman, Knowledge Management Analyst, National Center for State Courts, 757-259-1549, mherman@ncsc.dni.us.

Denise Dancy, Court Research Analyst, National Center for State Courts, 757-259-1593, ddancy@ncsc.dni.us.

Deborah White, Director, Human Resources Division, National Center for State Courts, 757-259-1814, dwhite@ncsc.dni.us.

Further Reading

National Center for State Courts, Workplace Domestic Violence: Resource Guide, http://www.ncsconline.org/WC/Education/HumManWorkGuide.htm.