Minimizing Risk: Reporting and Monitoring

Documentation to be kept by the company should reflect workplace issues/concerns only. Abuse committed off-site may be briefly noted.

House all documentation about the DV situation in a secure central file
Advise the victim that it is in her/his best interest to document any physical violence with the proper authorities

All threat/incident reports should be treated as sensitive company documents with limited distribution. Information in the reports should be shared on a strict "need to know" basis. Inappropriate dissemination of such information may:

Prevent effective planning or response
Impede civil or criminal actions against the perpetrator
Heighten the victim's danger and violate her right to privacy

An effective workplace domestic violence prevention plan must be non-retaliatory towards the reporting party. It should also be confidential to the extent that confidentiality is consistent with safety and other legal requirements.

Click here for a sample Confidential Domestic Violence Threat/Incident Report, which can be adapted for both pre-incident and post-incident reporting. Once the report is taken and a security protocol is implemented, the situation should be monitored for a reasonable time period to determine if there is any escalation or resolution. Routine monitoring may be one to three months, with the decision to continue beyond that initial period based on both the victim's and the security department's assessment of the threat.