Consequences of Domestic Violence in the Workplace

Domestic violence is a prevalent issue in our society. Also called DV, domestic violence can arise from almost any situation, including heated arguments, situations where parties are under the influence of alcohol or drugs and child custody cases.

In Ohio, domestic violence is defined as committing a sexually-oriented offense; committing any act that would result in an abused child; or knowingly causing or attempting to cause, recklessly causing or threatening force of physical harm to a family or household member.

Domestic violence also can have impact on the workplace. According to studies, 74% of employed battered women were harassed by their partner while at work. This caused over half of victims to be late for work at least five times per month or miss at least three full days a work of month. This can severely impact workplace productivity and a company’s bottom line.

About half of domestic violence victims reported difficulty with concentrating at work. Coupled with lateness, it is clear domestic violence can be a workplace issue. Given the number of victims of DV, it is very likely large companies have employees who are affected by domestic violence.

Besides negatively impacted productivity and lateness, domestic violence is a workplace issue for several other reasons. First, domestic violence can often still occur after the victim leaves the relationship. This abuse can happen in the workplace because this might be the only place the victim can be located by the abuser; the abuser can make threatening phone calls and cause stress for the victim.

Employers are often aware that helping employees with their personal problems is more cost-effective than letting the employees handle these issues on their own. Counseling or other treatments may be paid for, in part, by the employer.

For more information, please visit http://www.criminalattorneycolumbus.com/CriminalDefense/DomesticViolence.aspx.