Endangers Employee Safety and Undercuts Company Productivity
Although domestic violence usually occurs within the home, it carries over into the workplace in many ways. When it does, the safety of the workplace can be compromised.
 Homicide remains a leading cause of occupational injury death for US women.
33% of women killed in US workplaces between 2003-2008 were killed by a known personal relation; nearly 80% of these homicides were perpetrated by an intimate partner – either a current or former spouse or intimate partner.
More U.S. women died on the job as the result of domestic violence than at the hands of a client or by a current or former co-worker.
Employers often provide health insurance for their employees. For employees who are victims of domestic violence, medical care costs can be high. Victims use the emergency room more often, visit physicians more often, and use more prescription drugs than persons without violence. Studies have found that domestic violence victims experience impaired work performance and require more time off than employees who are not abused. Victims of domestic violence experience a broad range of emotional consequences, including depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, all of which can adversely affect employee productivity.
 With these high medical costs and diminished productivity levels, it is estimated that domestic violence costs employers between $3-5 billion every year. Moreover, employers lose another $100 million in lost wages, paid sick leave, and absenteeism linked to domestic violence.
Employers and workers may be aware that someone in their workplace is experiencing domestic violence, but they may not have the knowledge or tools to address the situation. Doing nothing is not a strategy for dealing with domestic violence in the workplace.
Learn the warning signs here or request a workplace violence seminar by clicking here.
Access the full National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) report here.
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