Effect of Domestic Violance on the Workplace
Can domestic violence hurt small business owners? A study last year by the University of Arkansas found that almost 40% of female and 22% of male respondents said they had been abused at some point in their lives and that 20% of threats and 72% of stalking incidents occur in the workplace. These statistics show that everyone in the workplace can be at risk, including business owners, employees, and their customers. Some highlights and excerpts from this study:
How does domestic violence spill over into the workplace?
How does domestic violence spill over into the workplace?
Victims report that abuse perpetrators are invading the workplace, especially with stalking behavior like threatening telephone calls, e-mails, following the victim to work, and hanging around the office. Oftentimes other employees witness these events and have concerns for their own safety, and worker productivity is severely affected.What signs should business owners look for?
Most of the time, the employer isn't even directly aware of the domestic violence. 82% of respondents had not disclosed the problem to a supervisor and 45% had not disclosed the problem to coworkers. However, a sensitive and alert business owner or supervisor might pick up on some of the side effects.What can business owners do to minimize the physical and psychological risks to their employees?
The survey showed that both male and female employees abused by an intimate partner are exhausted more frequently and have more difficulty concentrating at work than employees who aren't abused by an intimate partner.
With regard to productivity, females who said they had been victimized in the previous 12 months reported that they had been distracted, missed work, and were often tardy. Interestingly, male victims didn't report similar effects on their productivity.
Business owners can contact their local law-enforcement agencies and ask for help and information. Including information on domestic violence as part of a larger safety program will help alert employees and supervisors to the problem so that they will recognize it when they see it.Source: "The Impact of Domestic Violence" by Karen E. Klein, published at BusinessWeek Online.
The study found that victims who perceived that their organizations or co-workers as supportive reported that the effects of the violence were mitigated in their work lives. They were also were extremely grateful for the support, which gives employers a chance to develop very loyal employees when they assist those who are dealing with domestic violence.
