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Effective Health Care
Response to IPV

 
Domestic Violence:
It’s a Human Resources Issue For Health Care Institutions

Any institution that addresses intimate partner violence among its clients should also address intimate partner violence among its members or employees. Nurses or doctors who are encouraged by their work place to address the violence-related health and safety issues of their patients also need to know that their work environment is safe and supportive, allowing victims to come forward and holding perpetrators responsible.

Sample issues that may come up for you as an employee:

  • If you are being abused and you need to take time off repeatedly to go to court, will your employer accommodate you?
  • What if you have a relief from abuse order against your partner and are fearful that he or she will turn up at work and threaten you? Whom can you notify and how will your workplace help to keep you safe?
  • Will you have easy access to an Employee Assistance Program and are the counselors trained on intimate partner violence issues?

Contact the VT Network Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault vtnetwork@vtnetwork.org for information on Vermont resources. The statewide domestic violence hotline for victims is 1-800-228-7395.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office runs a Domestic Violence and the Workplace initiative. Contact them for a free, one-hour training, model policies, and other training or resource materials. Contact Amy Fitzgerald, Assistant Attorney General at 802-828-5520 or afitzgerald@atg.state.vt.us

The following information for HR Departments is excerpted from the Family Violence Prevention Fund Web Site. Go to www.endabuse.org/programs/workplace  for the full text and more resources (e.g. a video on the topic).


List of Contents:

How Domestic Violence Affects the Workplace

Model Workplace Practices

Managers

  • Signs of Abuse
  • Talking about Abuse
  • How Supervisors can help
  • Supervising Employees who are perpetrators of Abuse
  • Special Concerns of Immigrant Employees

Human Resources

  • Hiring and Recruiting
  • Performance Evaluation
  • Promotion and Advancement
  • Second Chance Agreements
  • When the Employee Is a Perpetrator of Abuse

 
Domestic Violence Affects the Workplace:

·     One in three American women report that they have been physically abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives i

·     Sixty-six percent of Fortune 1000 senior executives surveyed say they believe their company's financial performance would benefit from addressing domestic violence among their employees. Forty-seven percent say domestic violence has a harmful effect on the company's productivity, and 44% say that it increases health care costs. ii

·     Domestic violence results in hundreds of millions of dollars in health care costs in the U.S., much of which is paid for by employer benefits. iii

·     American employees miss 175,000 days per year of paid work due to domestic violence. iv

 

Agenda for the Future: Model Workplace Practices

Recognizing that responding to domestic violence is "good business," companies increasingly are implementing policies that help employees who are facing domestic violence. By working to mitigate the economic, legal, and productivity risks related to domestic violence, businesses create a workplace that is safer for victims.

Model practices for companies of the future include:

Manager Training: Trainings for managers - about how to recognize the signs of domestic violence in their staff and how to discuss the workplace policies around the issue - can raise awareness and increase sensitivity.

Security: Security can play a critical role in protecting an employee at work. Employees can provide security personnel with a photograph of a batterer in case he comes to the workplace. Additional best practices include: special training in domestic violence, relocating an employee to a safer workspace, installing a panic button or other security device at an employee's workstation, escorts to parked cars, installing extra lighting in the parking lot, and priority parking near the building for employees who fear an attack at work.

Counseling and Referrals: Companies with Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) or other counseling services can provide their employees with therapists trained to counsel on domestic violence. Companies without EAPs can maintain lists of resources in the community that specialize in domestic violence.

Leave and Benefit Policies: Employers can accommodate employees' needs for flexibility in their schedules by not penalizing them if they need to attend court proceedings, meet with a counselor or relocate to a shelter.

Education: Employee training, brown bag seminars, newsletter articles, and brochures on domestic violence are all ways that an employer can create an environment where it is safe to talk about domestic violence.

Financial Support: Employers can conduct drives to collect clothes, toys, furniture, or money for a local domestic violence program or shelter. Financial support can also include having an emergency fund for employees in crisis situations.

Disciplining Abusers: Companies can have policies in place that discipline abusive employees who are violent at work, including those who use workplace phones, faxes or email to harass their intimate partners.

Compliance Issues: Some federal, state and local anti-discrimination, family and medical leave, and disability laws may mandate certain actions and policies on the part of the employer. Prompt and proper compliance and reasonable accommodations can reduce the risk of employer liability for harm that may come to an employee from domestic violence.

Managers

Managers and supervisors face one of the most challenging aspects of domestic violence in the workplace: what to say to an employee who you believe is being abused, and how to say it in a way that respects her privacy.

Supervisors are often among the first people in the workplace to become aware that an employee may be facing domestic violence. If you think an employee may be abused, the next step is to make referrals to either in-house resources, such as an Employee Assistance Program, or external services such as a community domestic violence program.


Signs of Abuse

Does your employee:

  • have unexplained bruises or explanations that don't seem to fit the injuries?
  • seem distracted or have trouble concentrating?
  • miss work often?
  • receive repeated, upsetting telephone calls during the day?
  • appear anxious, upset or depressed?
  • fluctuate in the quality of her work for no apparent reason?
  • have a high absenteeism rate?

If you see these signs in your employee, she may be struggling with abuse at home.


Talking About Abuse

If you think an employee may be abused, talk about the problem with her.

  1. Let the employee know what you have observed

"I noticed the bruises you had last week If you are concerned about an employee, let her <BR>know.and you look upset and worried today."

  1. Express concern that the employee might be abused

"I thought it was possible that you are being hurt by someone and I am concerned about you."

  1. Make a statement of support

"No one deserves to be hit by someone else."

  1. If an employee that you supervise voluntarily discloses to you that she is struggling with domestic violence, let her know you are concerned and that you will support her. Keep the information confidential, telling only those who need to know, such as Security if there is a direct threat of violence at work. Work with her to adjust her schedule or workload to increase her safety, if needed.

    If the employee chooses to not disclose, no further questions or speculations should be made. If there are performance issues that result from the abuse, such as reduced productivity or excessive absences, you may offer help to her by focusing on the performance problems in an empathetic and caring manner, and refer her to appropriate company and community resources.


How Supervisors Can Help

  • Create a supportive environment. Employee training, Brown Bag seminars, newsletter articles, posters and brochures on domestic violence are all ways that an employer can create an environment where employees feel safe and comfortable talking about domestic violence. Talk to your Human Resources Department or Employee Assistance Program about education efforts they can undertake.
  • A stable work environment with clear and consistent performance expectations will help an employee achieve her best possible performance.
  • Temporary changes in job responsibilities, schedule, or even location, if permitted by the organization and desired by the employee, could be an appropriate accommodation for some victims and make it possible for the worker to focus on essential job functions.
  • Encourage the employee to let you know in advance if she can't meet a deadline or can't handle a specific job function (e.g., answering the telephone, when there is a possibility the abuser will call at work). Temporarily adjusting expectations will allow you to respond in a supportive way to the potential performance problem.

 

Supervising Employees Who Are Perpetrators of Abuse

With millions of women battered every year in this country, it is inevitable that some employees in any medium or large sized company will be batterers.

Below are some suggestions for supervisors when talking to an employee who has been identified as a perpetrator of domestic violence.

  • If the violence has been disclosed, discuss the problem with the employee. If it has not been disclosed but the supervisor suspects that it may be a problem, the supervisor may bring up any job performance problems that may be related to the abuse.
  • Maintain the confidentiality of the employee.
  • Explain how domestic violence affects work performance. For example, making frequent calls to threaten or harass someone can have an impact on productivity.
  • Refer the employee to batterer's education groups. Call the Domestic Abuse Education Project (802)660-8560 vtdaep@aol.com to see if there are resources near you.
  • Let the employee know what the policies are that apply to domestic violence, violence in general, and any other affected work area relating to the problem. Be clear that the company does not tolerate domestic violence, and refer the employee to the Employee Assistance program to get help.
  • Call the police if the employee violates a restraining order or is violent at work.

 
 Special Concerns of Immigrant Employees

Many workplaces have large populations of immigrant workers -- employees or members for whom English may not be a primary language. If an immigrant employee discloses domestic abuse and seeks a manager's help, there are special needs and concerns to consider. Local civil rights and immigrants rights groups in your community may be able to help you meet the needs of immigrant employees seeking help.


Prepare for the conversation:
   When you know that you want to talk to an employee you think may be abused who is from a particular community, gather information and knowledge about community groups -- both domestic violence and culture-specific -- that might work with the two of you to increase the employee's safety.

Language:
   Ask the employee what language she or he most comfortably speaks. If English is not her or his first language, offer to provide an interpreter. Do not use a partner, children, or any other person accompanying the employee as an interpreter.

Special Fears:
    The victim may be afraid to call the police, because of fear of deportation, or that the batterer will be deported.

Legal Status:
    Bear in mind that an immigrant employee's legal status may be affected by disclosure of abuse. Coming to and staying in the United States might be contingent on sponsorship by the batterer. If the employee has any questions about immigration status, offer a referral to an immigration lawyer.

Keep It Simple:
    Use simple language and a broad definition of domestic violence. "Do family members fight with you?" "Has someone in the family called you names?" "Are you afraid of someone in the family?"

Assess Their Support System:
    "Who can you trust to help you in this situation?" "What is it like in your community (religion, culture or family) when someone talks about these issues to an outsider?" "Do people in your community talk about domestic violence?"

Refer to Community Resources:
    Provide referrals to resources in the community that can help in the employee's own language and culture.



Human Resources

Clear human resources policies are at the core of a sound response to employees dealing with domestic violence. Fair practices are key, including non-discrimination against victims in recruiting, hiring and promoting, and sensitivity in performance evaluation.

Key human resources issues include:

Hiring and Recruiting:
Any information about a job applicant's past or current exposure to domestic violence should not be viewed unfavorably when making hiring or recruiting decisions.

Performance Evaluation:
When conducting performance planning or evaluation sessions with employees who are victims of domestic violence, the impact of the abuse on their job performance should be taken into account. Special consideration of the employees' need for time to obtain assistance for injuries and resultant disabilities should be made.

Promotion and Advancement:
Sometimes, an employee who is being abused may have difficulty meeting the demands of an advancement training program or promotion. She may turn down opportunities while she is trying to cope with or leave violence at home. Neither the fact that an employee is a victim of abuse nor a refusal of a current advancement opportunity should be used to deny future opportunities to the employee.

Second Chance Agreements:
An employee may reveal abuse to her employer only when faced with termination for performance problems resulting from the abuse. Second Chance Agreements are performance contracts that specify what behaviors have to change and give a time period for addressing those performance problems. The employer should not at any time demand that she leave the abuser as part of this agreement, or demand that she provide personal details about the abuse in order to qualify for the second chance. Referrals for assistance with the domestic violence should be given, along with the specific expectations for performance improvement.

When the Employee Is a Perpetrator of Abuse:
A workplace policy on violence or harassment should include employees who perpetrate acts of violence against their intimate partners on-site or using company resources. Employers should consider requiring the employee-perpetrator to attend a certified batterer's treatment program as part of a disciplinary action. Call the Domestic Abuse Education Project (802)660-8560 vtdaep@aol.com to see if there are resources near you.
 

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