Domestic violence and the workplace: do we know too much of nothing?

Abstract

Issues surrounding domestic violence and the workplace are usually considered as independent phenomena. Our personal and work lives, however, are increasingly intermixed; factors affecting one aspect of our lives invariably will affect another. An all-too-common lead story found in our news media – ‘current spouse commits heinous acts against his loved one at work’ – has helped to garner widespread public concern in the United States that domestic violence and the workplace do inter-mingle, sometimes with a deadly outcome (for cross-national perspective, see Di Martino 2005). Several studies have documented that domestic violence victims are in fact at risk in a variety of circumstances and places, including the work environment (Duhart 2001; Warchol 1998). Equally alarmingly, research has shown that those victims who are actively trying to leave violent relationships are at an increased risk of being attacked or stalked by the perpetrator (Campbell, et al. 2003; Tjaden and Thoennes 1998). The workplace offers a predictable setting for the estranged partner to encounter the victim because the victim’s work site and schedule are known to the perpetrator and, in many cases, the work site is accessible to the public regardless of the occupation, employer or location. Many acts of domestic violence are committed outside the boundaries of the workplace. Even so, their negative effects permeate into the labour market. Over and above the toll that the immediate bruises and broken teeth or bones have on job tardiness and attendance and health costs,studies have shown that domestic violence victims experience low morale and diminished productivity while on the job and are more likely to have experienced unemployment compared to non-victims (Farmer and Tiefenthaler, 2003; Lloyd 1997; Lloyd and Tatuc 1999). Collectively, these adverse effects can lead to deleterious consequences for other employees and ultimately undercut work productivity, quality and annual profit. Given the growing number of persons who are working worldwide, employers, managers, supervisors, human resources departments, unions and co-workers need to recognize that violent personal relationships, in particular those involving intimate partners, are one of many potential external and internal threats that pose a serious workplace hazard. Workplace security plans often address external threats from robbers, terrorists, disgruntled past employees or clients. Less frequently, however, do they consider the potential for inter-personal violent offenders to enter the workplace. Workplace security plans often fail to account for the various means by which access is possible, including telephone, fax and e-mail in addition to a personal appearance. Even more infrequently, workplace security plans fail to recognize that it can be the employee who is the perpetrator of the inter-personal violence. A unique feature of the work environment is that it is subject to statutory and contractual controls and court decisions that are not applicable to nonwork settings. For example, employers are required to protect workers from hazards under the OSHA General Duty Clause. Many other more specific requirements and guidelines related to specific hazards exist. As a result, there are opportunities for education, prevention and intervention that can have important benefits both within and outside the workplace. This chapter critically examines the current body of research and recommendations about workplace domestic violence in the United States. The first section presents an overview of the extent and effects of domestic violence in the workplace by focusing on three key topics. First, we present statistics documenting that domestic-related homicide, sexual and physical assault, and stalking spill over into the workplace. Second, we discuss the measurement limitations inherent in the current domesticrelated workplace violence data collection systems. Third, we provide a summary of the research showing the negative toll domestic violence has on victims, perpetrator-employees and co-workers, while increasing legal obligations and healthcare costs for employers and, ultimately, undercutting profits. In the second section, we discuss the strengths and limitations of key current recommendations for reducing the threat and incidence of domestic violence within the workplace. Here we present the results from our content analysis of web-based domestic violence in the workplace information and recommendations that are publicly available.