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Facts onWorking
· Women
U.S. Department of Labor
Women 's Bureau
NOV O7 ~996
No. 96-3
October 1996
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: A WORKPLACE ISSUE
Each year about one million women become
victims of violence at the hands of an intimate-a husband, ex-husband, boyfriend, or exboyfriend. Some estimates are even higher.
Women are about six times more likely than
men to experience violence committed by an
intimate. 1
At work, women are also more likely than men
to be attacked by an intimate, whereas men are
more likely to be attacked by a stranger. Each
year nearly one million individuals become
victims of violent crime while working or on
duty. During the period 1987-1992, five
percent of the women yictimized at work were
attacked by a husband, ex-husband, boyfriend,
or ex-boyfriend compared to one percent of
men who were victimized by an intimate.2
When an employee is the target of attack in the
workplace by an intimate, other employees may
also be placed at risk.
Homicide is by far the most frequent manner in
which women workers are fatally injured at
work. Although more women at work are
killed in the course of a robbery or other crime,
or by a work associate, during the period 199294, 17 percent of their alleged attackers were:
Domestic Violence Doesn't Just·AfTect a
Woman Outside of Work
Domestic violence can interfere with a woman's
ability to get, perform, or keep a job.
One small pilot study of employed battered
women found that almost three-quarters
reported being harassed by their abusive
partners in person or by telephone while at
work and more than half reported missing three
days of work each month because of abuse. 4
In another small non-random study of domestic
violence victims, 96 percent of those who were
employed had some type of problem in the
workplace as a direct result of their abuse or
abuser. These included being late (more than
60 percent), missing work (more than 50
percent), having difficulty performing one's job
(70 percent), being reprimanded for problems
associated with the abuse (60 percent), or
losing a job (30 percent). 5 Sometimes the
abuser actually prevents the victim from
working outside the home at all.
What Employers Can Do
current or former husbands or boyfriends.
Many employers are unaware that domestic
For Black women, the figure was 28 percent,
and, for Hispanic women, 20 percent. 3
violence affects their employees' job
performance or don't know how to help them
effectively. Others are aware of the problem,
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but don't feel that business should play a role in
addressing it.
A survey of Fortune 1000 companies,
conducted for Liz Claiborne, Inc. in 1994,
found that:
--4 out of 10 corporate leaders surveyed were
personally aware of employees in their companies
who have been affected by domestic violence;
--nearly half (49 percent) said that domestic violence
had a harmful effect on their company's
productivity;
--forty-seven percent said it had a harmful effect on
attendance;
--forty-four percent said it had a harmful effect on
health care costs;
--one-third believed domestic violence affected their
balance sheet; and
--two-thirds agreed that a company's financial
performance would benefit from addressing the
issue of domestic violence among its employees.
Only 12 percent said that corporations should
play a major role in addressing the issue. Yet,
over half ( 58 percent) of the 100 senior
executives who were interviewed sponsored
domestic violence awareness or survivor
support programs, and nearly three quarters
offered domestic violence counseling or
assistance programs. Forty-three percent said
they would definitely respond to the problem in
the future.
Some organizations have been pioneers in
responding, and others are signing on.
For example:
--Polaroid Corporation has addressed the issue
of domestic violence in a variety of ways over
several years. In 1994, the President of
Polaroid initiated the Chief Executive Officer's
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Project, extending a charge to businesses large
and small and corporations across the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts to collaborate
with battered women's shelters. Businesses
agree to provide training for their managers and
supervisors and biannual luncheon seminars for
employees, develqp a family violence protocol
for employees, and provide a shelter with inkind services, volunteers, employees'
professional expertise and/or corporate financial
support. Shelters also agree to provide various
forms of support.
--In 1991, Liz Claiborne initiated a public
service campaign called "Women's Work."
It seeks to educate the general public about
domestic violence and raise corporate
America's awareness of the need to deal with
the problem. For its own employees, Liz
Claiborne has a strong Employee Assistance
Program that offers counseling and referrals.
It also sponsors a series of family stress
seminars during business hours.
--The CEO of Marshalls Department Store has
volunteered at a shelter for battered women.
The company has conducted a campaign to
educate its own workers and has raised money
for the Family Violence Prevention Fund's
national public education campaign.
In 1995, the Women's Bureau of the U.S.
Department of Labor developed the Working
Women Count Honor Roll, a program
challenging businesses, nonprofits, unions, and
state and local governments to initiate new
programs or policies that make real, positive
workplace change in the areas women say they
need it the most. More than 1,300
organizations, public and private, large and
small, pledged to institute changes affecting
more than two million workers.
Both Polaroid and Marshalls have made
Working Women Count Honor Roll pledges,
as have several other organizations trying to
Domestic Violence An AFSCME Guide for Union
Action
Director, Women's Rights Department
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees, AFL-CIO
1625 L Street, NW
Washington, DC
(202)429-5090
Domestic Violence A Guide for Union Action
(February 1996) .
New York City Labor Union Coalition Against
Domestic Violence
·
Cornell University/New York State School of
Industrial and Labor Relations
Metropolitan District Office
16 East 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, New York 10016
(212)340-2810
Includes information on what unions can do,
supporting a co-worker, and personal safety plans.
3."Fewer Women Than Men Die of Work-Related
Injuries, Data Show," in Fatal Workplace Injuries in
1994· A Collection of Data and Analysis, Report
908, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of
Labor, July 1996.
4.New York Victim Services Agency Report on the
Costs of Domestic Violence, 1987.
5. "Domestic Violence: An Occupational Impact
Study," Domestic Violence Intervention Services,
Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 27, 1992
6.John Howard, MD, JD, "State and Regulatory
Approaches to Preventing Workplace Violence," in
Occupational Medicine· State of the Art Reviews
Vol. 11, No. 2, April-June 1996, Philadelphia,
Hanley & Belfus, Inc. Consultation Services for the
Employer. OSHA 3047, 1995 (Revised),
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S.
Department of Labor.
Domestic and Workplace Violence
United Food and Commercial Workers International
Union, AFL-CIO, CLC
1775 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006-1598
(202)223-3111
7.John Howard, MD, JD, "State and Local
Regulatory Approaches to Preventing Workplace
Violence," in Occupational Medicine· State of the Art
Reviews, Vol. 11, No. 2, April-June 1996,
Philadelphia, Hanley & Belfus, Inc.
"Sample Contract Language to Protect Workers from
on-the-job Assault," in the factpack Assault On The
Job We Can Do Something About Itl (1993)
Service Employees International Union,
AFL-CIO, CLC
1313 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202)898-3200
Private Establishment, 1993, Bulletin 2456, Bureau
of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,
November 1994. Employee Benefits in Small Private
Establishments, 1994, Bulletin 2475, Bureau of
Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, April
1996.
ENDNOTES:
8.Employee Benefits in Medium and Large
9. Catherine K. Ruckelshaus, "Unemployment
Compensation for Victims of Domestic Violence:
An Important Link to Economic and Employment
Security," in Clearinghouse Review, special issue
1996.
I .Violence Against Women· Estimates from the
Redesigned Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics
Special Report, August 1995.
2.Violence and Theft in the Workplace, Crime Data
Brief, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department
of Justice, July 1994.
Ida L. Castro
Women's Bureau
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
~ Create a safety plan to use at work and away
from work. If you are being threatened at
work, you can let your employer know of the
threat. The employer should then take specific
precautions to ensure your safety and the safety
of other employees who may be at risk as a
result of the threat. In California, under the
Workplace Violence Safety Act, employers can
seek a temporary restraining order and
injunctive relief"on behalf of the employee" if
the employee has suffered unlawful violence at
the workplace or has received a credible threat
of violence that could reasonably be carried out
at the workplace.7
~ If your place of employment has an Employee
Assistance Program, contact an employee
assistance counselor for counseling and
referrals. Employee assistance programs are
available to almost two-thirds (62 percent) of
employees in medium and large private sector
workplaces and one out of seven employees (15
percent) in small private sector workplaces. 8
~
Suggest that your employer address domestic
violence. The National Workplace Resource
Center on Domestic Violence has many
materials that can help employers do that.
~ If you are represented by a union, seek the
union's help.
~
Contact the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) of the U .S. Department
ofLabor if your employer is not taking steps to
ensure your safety at work. The Occupational
Safety and Health Act requires employers to
furnish their employees with a safe and healthful
workplace. OSHA can supply information and
guidance to businesses interested in making
their workplaces safer.
~
Contact your State occupational safety and
health agency to see if and how they seek to
prevent and address domestic and other forms
of violence at work. In California, the Division
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of Occupational Safety and Health has issued
Guidelines for Workplace Security.
~You may be entitled to leave under the Family
and Medical Leave Act if you are seriously
injured as -a result of domestic violence, and as a
result have become incapacitated and unable to
work. The Family and Medical Leave Act is
enforced by the Wage-Hour Division of the
U .S. Department of Labor.
~ If you quit your job for reasons related to
domestic violence, you may be able to obtain
unemployment benefits. More than a quarter of
the States permit award of benefits to domestic
violence victims.
Other laws, such as wrongful discharge laws
and laws protecting employees who must miss
work in order to testify in court may protect
your employment. 9
In Rhode Island, a 1996 law protects employees
from discrimination, such as discharge, solely
because they have sought or obtained a
protective order.
Resources
Violence Against Women Office
U.S. Department of Justice
10th & Constitution Ave, NW, Room 5302
Washington, DC 20530
(202) 616-8894
National Workplace Resource Center on Domestic
Violence
383 Rhode Island Street, Suite 304
San Francisco, CA 94103-5133
(415)252-8900
The Impact of Violence in the Lives ofWorkin~
Women· Creating Solutions - Creating Change
il22.fil
NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund
99 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10013
(212)925-6635
help victims of domestic violence. The
following are some examples of these pledges:
--In 1995, the City of Tacoma, Washington
initiated a broad-based domestic violence
educational campaign targeted at its 180,000
citizens and 3,500 employees. The campaign
included classes on the prevention of domestic
violence, articles in the employee newsletter, the
appointment of a committee of employees to
recommend services for victims and their
families, and the inclusion of information on
domestic violence as an insert in all city resident
utility bills.
--In 1995, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
and the American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees/Service Employees
International Union signed a collective
bargaining agreement which gave the
Commonwealth's 21,000 employees up to 10
days paid leave to attend necessary legal
proceedings or activities in instances where the
employee or his/her children is a victim of
domestic abuse.
--The Bank of Boston Foundation is funding the
Elizabeth Stone House, a battered women's
shelter, to train residents to run small
businesses.
Employers who wish to address domestic
violence as a workplace issue will find a source
of information and support in the National
Workplace Resource Center on Domestic
Violence, a project of the Family Violence
Prevention Fund established in October 1995.
Current initiatives of the Center include: a
resource library of best corporate practices on
domestic violence prevention; employee
education materials; leadership of National
Domestic Violence Workplace Education Day
on October 1, 1996; and a Domestic Violence
Advocacy Network, which can respond to
members' requests for speakers, counselors, or
legal experts.
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Employers may also wish to contact their
State's Occupational Safety and Health
consultation program for help in recognizing
and correcting workplace violence hazards and
in improving their workplace security program. 6
What Unions Can Do
Labor organizations can address and are
addressing domestic violence at the workplace
in a variety of ways. For example, they can:
--negotiate provisions in collective bargaining
agreements for employee assistance services, paid
legal assistance, and paid time off for family
emergencies:
--sponsor workshaps;
--produce and/or distribute publications and/or
include articles on domestic violence in union
newsletters;
--work with shelters (donate or help raise funds,
support for funding, donate services, provide
volunteers); and
--train stewards and union members.
Some of the publications on domestic violence
produced by unions are listed in the resources
section at the end of this publication.
What Employees Who Are Victims of
Domestic Violence Can Do
Victims of domestic violence often feel isolated.
But you don't have to face domestic violence
alone. The following are some things you can
do or that may be available to you:
~
Call the nationwide, 24-hour, toll-free
domestic violence hotline. The number is 1800-799-SAFE and the TDD number for the
hearing impaired is 1-800-787-3224. Callers
can receive counseling and be referred directly
to help in their communities, including
emergency services and shelters.
WOMEN'S BUREAU
REGIONAL OFFICES
ReJdon I; Boston
ReJdon VI: Dallas
Ms. Jacqueline Cooke, RA
John F. Kennedy Federal Building
Room E-270
Boston, MA 02230
Phone: (617) 565-1988
Fax: (617) 565-1986
(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)
Ms. Dolores Bischof, Acting RA
Federal Bldg., Suite 735
525 Griffin Street
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone: (214) 767-6985
Fax: (214) 767-5418
(Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Texas)
Remon Il: New York City
ReJdon VII: Kansas City
Ms. Mary C. Murphree, RA
201 Varick Street, 601
New York, NY 10014-4811
Phone: (212) 337-2389
Fax: (212) 337-2394
(New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico,
Virgin Islands)
Ms. Rose Kemp, RA
Center City Sq. Building
1100 Main St., Suite 1230
Kansas City, MO 64105
Phone: (816) 426-6108
1-800-252-4706
Fax: (816) 426-6107
{Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska)
Region m: Philadelphia
ReJdon vm: Denver
Ms. Cornelia Moore, RA
Gateway Building, Room 2450
3535 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: (215) 596-1183
1-800-379-9042
Fax: (215) 596-0753
(Delaware, District of Columbia,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)
Ms. Oleta Crain, RA
1801 California Street, 905
Denver, CO 80202-2614
Phone: (303) 391-6756
1-800-299-0886
Fax: (303) 391-6752
(Colorado, Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming)
Region IV: Atlanta
ReJdon IX: San Francisco
Ms. Delores L. Crockett, RA/Field Coordinator
1371 Peachtree Street, Room 323
Atlanta, GA 30367
Phone: (404)347-4461
Fax: (404) 347-1755
(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi
North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee)
Ms. Barbara Sanford, Acting RA
71 Stevenson Street, Suite 927
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (415) 975-4750
Fax: (415) 975-4753
(Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii,
Nevada)
ReJdon Y; Chica'°
ReJdon X: Seattle
Ms. Estelle Cortinas, Acting RA
230 S. Dearborn Street, Room 1022
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: (312) 353-6985
1-800-648-8183
Fax: (312) 353-6986
{Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin)
Ms. Karen Furia, RA
1111 Third Avenue, Room 885
Seattle, WA 98101-3211
Phone: (206) 553-1534
Fax: (206) 553-5085
(Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington)
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