ID domestic violence, create a place of safety
You can and should intervene
If you had to name something that costs American businesses an estimated $4.1 billion a year in direct medical and mental health care services, would you think of intimate partner violence?1
Almost a quarter of full-time employed adults (21%) were victims of domestic violence, according to a survey done by the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence, and 64% of this group indicated that their work performance was impacted significantly.
"I think the occupational health nurse (OHN) would be surprised if they knew how much it costs," says Sarah Katula, PhD, APN, a clinical nurse specialist at Behavioral Health Services, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, IL. "I also think they would be surprised at how effective they could be if they championed the issue." [A free Domestic Violence Cost Calculator is available online, which computes the annual medical and absenteeism cost of intimate partner violence in your workplace. To use the calculator, go to www.texashealth.org. Under "Community Commitment," choose "Family Violence Prevention" and then "Family Violence Prevention/Cost Calculator."]
"There are costs involved in domestic violence for the workplace that employers do not realize," says Kim Wells, the organization's executive director. "Occupational health professionals are certainly on the frontline of this. They may see presenting issues that are not domestic violence on the face, but are so on a deeper level."
Here's what to do
Katula says occupational health professionals should "provide a place of safety in their offices and extend that into the greater work environment." She recommends you provide screening and resources to employees by doing the following:
• Offer general education to employees so they too know what to look for in other employees.
"Often it is the coworkers that identify it because they see the day-after-day consequences," says Katula. "They may overhear phone conversations from the perpetrator. They may be asked to help screen calls or prevent the abuser from entering the workplace."
However, Katula says that the occupational health nurse (OHN) "could be the one to notice a bruise. She could be the one that asks screening questions in a way that if a 'yes' answer is there, the victim might disclose abuse." (To find employer-based materials, go to www.caepv.org. Click on "Start a Workplace Program.")
• Assess how much leaders know.
Katula sent managers a questionnaire on their knowledge of intimate partner violence, including any training they had received.
"We found that they had little experience, and knew very little about how to respond and what resources were available," says Katula. "We also found they were unaware of legislation to help protect abused employees." Based on these findings, training programs and an Intranet web site were created.
• Obtain training from local domestic violence experts or agencies.
"Training will provide you with a framework for what needs to be cultivated at your workplace," says Katula. "At Good Samaritan, we have a very close working relationship with two agencies: a police department and the YWCA. We meet monthly and formulate plans for education and awareness."
Reference
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Costs of intimate partner violence against women in the United States. 2003. Atlanta.
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