Maine Employers Against DV: Abusers in the Workplace

Domestic Violence Abusers in the Workplace Tool Kit!

MCEDV and the Maine Department of Labor have released a new video tool kit that provides the tools to respond more effectively and safely to domestic violence abusers and to support a culture change regarding domestic violence in the workplace.  The tool kit was rolled out in September 2011 with the support of Governor LePage.

MCEDV and its member programs are available to provide tool kit materials and consultation to organizations who are interested (see Services section of the website for listings of your local center).  Call 207-430-8334 for more information.

The Maine Development Foundation and The Maine Chambers of Commerce are committed to providing their members with the training materials and facilitating their connection with their local domestic violence resource centers.

This tool kit development involved Maine business leaders, Domestic Violence advocates, Maine government agencies and community  members, coordinated by MCEDV.  We are very grateful for their involvement. Please see our acknowledgements page for a list of primary partners.

Quick Facts: Domestic Violence Abusers in the Workplace

 Does domestic violence affect your bottom line?

• Nearly 1 in 4 women in the U.S. reports experiencing violence by a current or former spouse or boyfriend at some point in her life[i]
• 21% of adult employees self-identify as a victim of intimate partner violence[ii]
• 1 in 4 women in the workplace identify as a domestic violence survivor or victim[iii]
• It is estimated that 1 in 4 men will use violence against his partner in his lifetime[iv]

• The annual cost of lost productivity in the U.S. due to domestic violence is estimated at $727.8 million, with over 7.9 million paid workdays lost each year[v]
• The costs of intimate partner violence exceed $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health care services, much of which is paid for by the employer[vi]

Impact on the Workplace

Domestic violence abusers do not perpetrate abuse in isolation, and often their behaviors continue or overlap with their time on the job.  Employers who recognize how abusers misuse workplace resources, or commit abuse off-duty that compromises their work, will be better prepared to put systems of support and accountability in place.

In one of the first studies of its kind nationally, Maine researchers[vii] reported that:

• Over 75% of abusers used workplace resources at least once to express remorse or anger, check up on, pressure, or threaten the victim
• 74% of abusers had easy access to their intimate partner’s workplace, with 21% of offenders reporting that they contacted the victim at the workplace in violation of a no contact order
• 48% of abusers had difficulty concentrating at work, with 19% of offenders reporting a workplace accident or near miss from inattentiveness due to pre-occupation with their relationship
• 42% of abusers were late to work
• 70 domestic abuse abusers lost 15,221 hours of work time due to their domestic abuse arrests – at Maine’s average hourly wage, this equaled approximately $200,000 in lost work time[viii]

 The Importance of Employment

Employers are an important part of the coordinated community response to domestic violence, providing both support and accountability to employees.  The goal of creating a comprehensive workplace response is not to render abusers unemployed or unemployable, especially since research has indicated that unemployed male abusers pose a particular risk to the women they partner with[ix].  Rather, the goal is to enhance workplace safety while also giving abusers a consistent message that violence against an intimate partner is unacceptable conduct and should never be tolerated or accepted in any setting.

Employer Awareness & Workplace Response

Many employers are aware of the problems of domestic violence in the community, and that it presents major challenges to a healthy, safe, and productive workplace.  The resources are now in place to empower employers to act and create a comprehensive response, whether the employer is a small business that relies solely on local law enforcement, domestic violence programs, and batterer intervention programs, or a larger employer who can develop a comprehensive plan using company resources such as an Employee Assistance Program, security, and Human Resources.

 A Corporate Leader Survey by Liz Claiborne, Inc.[x] revealed that:

• 66% of corporate leaders said domestic violence is a major problem in today’s society
• 56%  of corporate leaders said they were aware of employees within their organization affected by domestic violence
• 68% said a company’s financial performance would benefit if domestic violence were addressed among its employees
• Many reported that domestic violence has had a harmful effect on their own organization’s staff, specifically on their psychological well-being (60%), their physical safety (52%), their productivity (48%) and their attendance (42%)

 A 2006 survey of workplaces by the Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed that:

• Over 70% of United States workplaces have no formal program or policy that addresses workplace violence.
• Of the 30% of workplaces in the U.S. that have some sort of formal workplace violence policy, only 44% have a policy to address domestic violence in the workplace.  Only 4% of all establishments train employees on domestic violence and its impact on the workplace[xi]