Why Your Involvement is Crucial

This year at least four million people will suffer physical abuse by their intimate partners. Another twenty million will suffer emotional abuse by "loved ones." Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women in the United States.

Violence against women affects thousands of working women every day. It not only impacts the ability of these women to provide and care for themselves and their families, but it also affects the financial strength and success of the companies for which they work. It has an adverse and disruptive effect on worker morale, customer perceptions of the company and its premises and can increase a company's legal liability.

Become a leader in your company and your community and make a difference in the lives of your employees. By choosing to proactively address this issue in your organization, you can:

Increase employee productivity and morale
Create a powerful, positive impact in the community
Implement effective prevention and intervention strategies that save lives

The effects of this violence are associated with many direct and indirect costs, including:

decreased productivity
increased health care costs
absenteeism
errors
employee turnover
time spent away from work to cope with problems

Domestic violence also affects co-workers. As the perceived danger increases for one employee, the level of distraction and fear for co-workers also increases. Co-workers may:

Have to fill in for absent or non-productive workers
Feel resentful of victims needing time off or receiving extra attention
Try to "protect" victims from unwanted phone calls, visits, etc
Be completely unaware of how to intervene, often feeling helpless and distracted from their work
Fear for their own safety
Hear and/or take part in gossip and rumors

Recent estimates indicate that violence in the home costs American companies as much as $5 billion a year. Employers have a unique opportunity to address domestic violence in the workplace by providing tools, assistance and resources for employees.