Domestic Violence: A Workplace Issue

On October 18th, Workspace Beverly Community Manager, Neha Montgomery, attended a workshop on Domestic Violence. The event was hosted by the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce and featured a panel of experts who shared information on how businesses can be prepared and support employees who are victims of Domestic Abuse. 

I spoke with Neha about the event and asked her to share some insights. 

“The first thing that surprised me to my core was the statistics. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic violence in their life. Another statistic that surprised me was that it [the effects of domestic violence] costs businesses $8.3 billion annually — which is a combination of higher medical costs and lost productivity costs.”

While the subject of domestic abuse is often considered taboo, domestic violence is a workplace issue that must be addressed. The panel of experts spoke about how employers can help victims and how to develop resources for employees that focus on prevention, education, and outreach.

One valuable resource available to employees is HAWC (Healing Abuse, Working for Change), which offers free and confidential support services.

Another resource designed for employers is EADV (Employers Against Domestic Violence) which is membership-based and a non-profit organization. They have experts in the field who can help the employer develop tailored workplace policies and procedures, train employees, offer resources, and ensure that their workplace supports all employees facing domestic abuse.

EADV describes domestic violence as “a pattern of abusive behavior used by one intimate partner to gain power and control over another intimate partner.” It’s important to recognize the signs because it’s not always as obvious as bruises. 

The following are also forms of Domestic Abuse:

• Physical harm 
• Threatening, coercing, or intimidating
• Threatening deportation
• Withholding finances to have control
• Withholding food or transportation
• Forced isolation from friends and family
• Destroying property
• Gaslighting
• Insulting or blaming
• Sexual abuse

In simplest terms, anything that feels wrong in your gut is wrong!

Neha’s key takeaway from the event was the need to increase awareness on this topic. “The victims should not feel scared to talk about it. They should not feel like they need to go through this alone. They should not feel ashamed that this happened to them. It could happen to anyone. There is no discrimination in domestic violence,” she shared.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to attend this essential, eye-opening event and extend our appreciation to HAWC North Shore and Employers Against Domestic Violence for their invaluable insights. A special thank you to the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce for hosting and making this event accessible to our local community.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please reach out to one of these resources for support. If there is immediate danger, call 911.

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233

HAWC’s 24-hour Hotline: 800-547-1649

EADV’s SafeLink 24-hour Hotline: 877-785-2020