Domestic Violence Impacts The Workplace
Canadian employers lose $77.9 million annually due to the direct and indirect impacts of domestic violence, and the costs, to individuals, families and society, go far beyond that. The evidence linking economic independence, being in paid employment and domestic violence has been steadily developing, and we now know that:
- women who experience domestic violence have a more disrupted work history
- make less money than women who haven’t experienced domestic violence
- change jobs more often
- more likely work in casual and part time roles.
Being employed is a key pathway to leaving a violent relationship. The financial security that employment affords can allow people to escape the isolation of an abusive relationship, and maintain, as far as possible, their home and standard of living, both for themselves, and their children.
Being a perpetrator of domestic violence also significantly impacts a worker and their workplace. A recent study found that 53% of workers who use abusive behaviour felt their job performance was negatively impacted, 75% had a hard time concentrating on their work, and 19% reported causing or nearly causing workplace accidents due to their violent relationship. Their behaviours lead to a loss of paid and unpaid work time, a decrease in productivity, and safety hazards for their co-workers.
A 2014 CREVAWC and CLC survey of over 7,000 Canadian workers, found that:
- over a third of respondents have experienced domestic violence
- women, trans, and Indigenous people, as well as those with disabilities and those reporting a sexual orientation other than heterosexual were even more likely to have experienced domestic violence
- among those who had experienced domestic violence, over a third reported that the violence affected their ability to get to work
- over half of those who had experienced domestic violence reported that it continued at the workplace in some way, for example, with harassing phone calls from the abuser or stalking of those who had experienced domestic violence, the vast majority reported that it affected their work performance in some way, for example, due to being distracted, tired, or unwell.
- over a third of those who had experienced domestic violence discussed the violence with somebody at work, most commonly with co-workers or supervisors
- the vast majority of respondents, whether or not they had personally experienced domestic violence, believed that it impacts the work lives of those experiencing abuse ‘quite a bit’ or ‘a whole lot’
- most respondents also thought that employers and union representatives are not aware when DOMESTIC VIOLENCE is affecting workers
- most respondents believed that workplace supports such as paid leave and safety policies can reduce the impact of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE on the work lives
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