"Domestic Violence's Big Workplace Impact"
Carol Reeves and Anne O'Leary-Kelly
University of Arkansas
A study by the University of Arizona reveals that domestic violence has a much bigger impact in the workplace than previously thought. Professors Carol Reeves and Anne O’Leary-Kelly found through a survey that 20 percent of threats and 72 percent of stalking occur in the workplace: much more than previous surveys revealed. The results of the survey also uncovered a hidden risk to both employees and customers. They found domestic violence also causes tardiness, absences, and distractedness in the work environment.
Reeves and O’Leary-Kelly received grants totaling $750,000 from the U.S. Justice Department to study the effects of domestic violence and conducted a survey via email, sending the survey to 4,500 employees in Arkansas-based service firms. Questions involved work and family life and also touched on depression, work satisfaction and self-esteem. They received 1,500 responses- high for an email survey. The survey found 40 percent of female and 22 percent of male respondents reported abuse at some point in their lives, with 10 percent of females and 8 percent of males reporting abuse in the past 12 months.
Carol Reeves points out that Arkansas has higher rates of domestic violence than many other states – it is in the top 10 percent – but the problem cannot possibly be limited to one location. The significant rise in reports of domestic abuse is likely caused by the survey method: this survey was conducted by email, while previous domestic violence surveys were phone-based. People surveyed are much more likely to report abuse under anonymous conditions, according to Reeves, who also pointed out that web surveys foster a greater sense of anonymity for respondents.
The results of the survey suggested that abusers invade the workplace with stalking behavior like phone calls, emails, hanging around the office or following the victim to work. Even more disturbing is the fact that many employees suffer in silence: 82 percent of respondents don’t report their abuse to supervisors and 45 percent don’t report it to coworkers, since domestic violence is considered a “home” problem. Reeves suggests that “sensitive business owners or supervisors might pick up on some of the side effects... employees abused by an intimate partner are exhausted more frequently and have more difficulty concentrating at work.”
The first step towards helping abuse victims is openness to the topic. Reeves says “[Employers] can contact their local law-enforcement agency and ask for help and information. Sponsoring a brown-bag seminar would be a start. It could include information on domestic violence as part of a larger safety program.” She also adds that employees are very grateful for any support from their workplace and that workplace support could mitigate effects of abuse.
This study by the University of Arkansas does not appear online.