Employers’ Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence among a Diverse Workforce

Abstract

ObjectivesIntimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant global public health concern, affecting 5.3 million US individuals annually. An estimated 1 in 3 women globally are abused by an intimate partner in their lifetime, and the effects carry over into the workplace. This article examines employers' perceptions of IPV in the workplace, targeting supervisors of Latina employees.MethodsFourteen employers and supervisors of small service-sector companies in Oregon were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Interpretive description was used to identify themes. These qualitative interviews preceded and helped to formulate a larger workplace intervention study.ResultsThe following themes were found and are detailed: (1) factors associated with recognizing IPV in the workplace, (2) effects of IPV on the work environment and (3) supervisors' responses to IPV-active vs. passive involvement. Also, supervisors' suggestions for addressing IPV in the workplace are summarized.ConclusionThese findings demonstrate the need for more IPV-related resources in the workplace to be available to supervisors as well as survivors and their coworkers. The needs of supervisors and workplaces vary by site, demonstrating the need for tailored interventions, and culturally appropriate workplace interventions are needed for Latinas and other racially and ethnically diverse populations.

Workplace Violence and Safety Issues in Long-Term Medical Care Facilities: Nurses' Perspectives

“…This is verified by the findings of other studies [20] , [21] . The finding in this study, which showed that patients were the common perpetrators of WPV followed by co-workers, agrees with other studies in this area [14] , [22] . The need for tailored interventions will be helpful to ensure that co-workers' violent acts at the workplaces are totally eliminated.…”

How Has Living with Intimate Partner Violence Affected the Work Situation? A Qualitative Study among Abused Women in Norway

“…Research from the US has shown that women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) find it difficult to stay in gainful employment due to problems at home (Rothman et al 2007 , Tolman and Wang 2005 ). Fear affects women’s employment through concentration problems at work and absenteeism from work (Samuel et al 2011 ; Swanberg et al 2007 ; Swanberg et al 2006 ). Among the 120 IPV survivors in a US study, 78 % reported employment sabotage (Postmus et al 2012 ).…”

Domestic Violence: Public Reactions and Strategic Interventions

“…Some study have been conducted on employers' and supervisors' perception toward intimate partners violence in the workplace (Samuel, Tudor, Weinstein, Moss, & Glass, 2011). Their findings show that many employers and supervisors have expressed their concerns over an employee who has experience intimate partner violence, but often states that they do not know what the best response should be.…”

“…In an article by healthtalk.org, women's experiences of domestic violence and abuse, victims are sometimes too scared of their abusive partners to report on them due to emotional blackmail often administered by the offenders to the victims. Most victims never approached anyone (Samuel et al, 2011) to get help and therefore NGOs could not exercise aids for them. This is another factor which contributes to the failure to help victims.…”