Domestic violence doesn’t only affect the home. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that husbands and boyfriends commit 13,000 acts of violence against women in the workplace every year.
More secretaries were slain on the job in 1993 than police officers and bartenders combined. American employees miss 175,000 days per year of paid work because of domestic violence. An overwhelming majority – 94 percent – of security directors rank domestic violence as a high workplace security risk.
In two surveys of battered women, 60 percent of respondents indicated they had been late to work because of abuse and 50 percent said they had been absent from work because of abuse while 74 percent reported that they had been harassed at work by their abuser on the phone or in person.
U.S. businesses lose an estimated $100 million in lost wages, sick leave and absenteeism every year because of domestic violence.
Jury awards to victims, co-workers and their estates have ranged from $25,000 to several million dollars paid by employers who have not properly and adequately addressed domestic violence in the workplace.
ADV can help your business through consultation on issues relating to domestic violence in the workplace such as:
• Policy development
• Threat assessment
• How to handle aggressive employees or visitors
• How to properly address security issues
• How to defuse explosive behavior
• Counseling and referral services for employees and dependents
• Training for managers, human resources and line personnel
• Community/corporate activities in support of violence prevention