Domestic violence ‘a tough subject’ - Those in the workplace urged to heed signs of trouble and do something about it

Domestic violence ‘a tough subject’ – Those in the workplace urged to heed signs of trouble and do something about it

Posted by Ross Arrowsmith on Thursday, November 27th 2008 under Domestic violence at work

For many victims of domestic violence, the workplace can be a sanctuary from their abuser, a place where for eight hours a day they can escape the horrors of their home life.

But victims are never far from the violence and it often follows them to work – sometimes in the form of a stalker or harassing phone calls, causing mental and physical anguish. The constant fear can lead many otherwise dependable employees to experience a loss of productivity, increased absenteeism and eventual unemployment.

It’s why the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce and the Grande Prairie & Area Prevention of Family Violence Network held an informative luncheon at the Stonebridge Hotel for local employers dubbed, “Why should employers care when domestic violence comes to work?”

“The children go to school, they’re affected at school, and their learning is affected. And mom and dad go to work in the morning. So we realize that domestic violence goes beyond the walls of the house and it does affect an employer and an employment setting greatly,” said Lois Roth, executive administrator of the Prevention of Family Violence Network.

“I think our goal is always awareness,” she added. “When things are talked about, it’s no longer a secret anymore and the more people feel that they’re able to open up and voice what’s happening in their own homes, the better support and assistance that they’re able to get through their places of work, through co-workers and support networks and that kind of thing.”

The monetary costs of domestic violence seeping into the workplace are staggering for both employers and employees alike.

The London, Ont.-based Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children estimates the cost of domestic violence to the Canadian economy to be approximately $4.2 billion. Other figures show employers lose nearly $100 million annually due to lost productivity as a result of domestic violence.

Yet, according to the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, domestic violence in the workplace is becoming the fastest growing type of workplace violence in Canada. It reports 70 per cent of domestic violence victims are victimized at work.

However, the Conference Board of Canada says less than 50 per cent of firms across the country have policies to adequately deal with employees who are dealing with violence at home or in the workplace.

“I don’t think (companies address domestic violence) as much as they should,” said Linda Morrison, regional manager of workforce planning for the Northwest Child and Family Services Authority, and keynote speaker at Tuesday’s luncheon.

“I mean, a lot of that is when you look at again, how we use that term ‘going postal’ so freely, is that we haven’t really looked, I don’t think, as employers what we can do to keep our employees safe.

“I don’t know if it has a lot to do with fear,” she added.

“It’s a tough subject and a lot of people would think that it crosses a line of a personal issue rather than an employer issue.”

She said there’s a lot of places companies can go to learn how to help employees suffering from domestic violence and ensure their safety once at work.

“There’s lots of resources, lots of handouts, it’s just whether the folks at the top really wanted to take an interest in taking it one step forward.”

Creating a warm and welcoming environment for victims of domestic violence is paramount to ensuring victims feel safe and eventually seek outside help, she said.

“I think it’s pretty simple. It’s creating a climate of trust, having policy procedures that their employees know is going to be enforced and information on what do you do if somebody is in need of shelter services, or what is the process for getting a restraining order, or what can we do to block e-mails,” she said.

“And giving your employee hope that they’re going to be supported and not lose their job. As I mentioned in my talk, the thought of losing your job and having to stay home all day with the abuser is just horrifying.”

And given the current economic climate, implementing new policies addressing domestic violence will not only be beneficial for the employee, but may help bring down costs in the long run, Morrison said.

“It’s really just whether or not your senior managers have what it takes to say, ‘You know what? Our employees are worth it and we’re going to do it,’” Morrison said. “And a lot of the examples that I gave today on keeping your workplace free of domestic violence, or helping employees that are experiencing it, don’t cost any money.”

In October, Statistics Canada released a report (2006 figures) that showed 18 per cent of all violent incidents in Alberta were related to spousal violence, which ranks the province third in the country, behind Quebec and Nunavut.

Roth said from May 2007 to May 2008 the Grande Prairie RCMP Family Violence Unit investigated 1,164 domestic violence files.

“So it is a problem in Grande Prairie, it is a problem everywhere. Obviously we don’t have a 40-bed women’s shelter that’s sitting empty, it’s full 90 per cent of the time,” she said.