Nathaniel M. Glasser, a Member of the Firm in the Labor and Employment practice, in the Washington, DC, office, authored an article in Corporate Counsel, titled “How to Create an Effective Domestic Violence Policy.”
Following is an excerpt:
Once viewed as a private matter between spouses that was confined to the home, domestic violence and its effects can cross over into the workplace. Many instances of workplace violence have roots in domestic disputes. Disturbingly, 21 percent of work-related homicides of women, and 2 percent of work-related homicides of men, are caused by a relative or intimate partner, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Even when the abuse is not perpetrated at the workplace, its manifestations can extend into the workplace in the form of lost time or productivity. According to a 2003 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year domestic violence causes U.S. women to miss nearly 8.0 million days of paid work each year, and results in almost $1 billion in lost productivity from paid work and household chores.