Employees aren't alone: How HR can support workers dealing with domestic abuse

The gap between personal and professional life is shrinking, and employees desperately want to know that there's support for the challenges they face at home — no matter how hard they are to talk about. 

Ninety-six percent of domestic violence victims said they experience issues at work because of their abuse, according to a recent report conducted by American Public University. Yet over 70% of U.S. workplaces don't have a formal program or policy in place to address domestic violence, leaving HR departments incapable of helping a large demographic of workers. 

The lack of support is likely due to the fact that there are still harmful stereotypes around discussing personal struggles at work, according to Gail Buck, co-founder of executive search firm nextOpp Search. 

"Domestic violence is still a topic that's considered taboo," according to Buck. "There are a lot of companies out there that are just really unprepared and not informed enough to create an inclusive environment where the issue would come up and they'd be able to offer support. But we have to be vocal about this and shine a light on this because that's the only way that survivors are going to feel like they have a shot at even trying to leave the situation that they're in." 

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According to the report, missed work related to domestic violence adds up to nearly eight million lost days of paid work each year. The effects can be difficult for HR leaders to spot, but may include an increase in absences at work, a decrease in the victim's quality of work and an overall disconnect between the victim with supervisors and coworkers. 

While nearly two-thirds of corporate executives agree that domestic violence is a major problem in society and 55% acknowledge its harmful impact on productivity, many HR leaders are still hesitant to get involved. But this inaction could severely stunt an employee's career progression, according to Rebecca Oppenheim, co-founder of executive search firm nextOpp Search.

"[Abusers create] situations where employees could be fired from their job, so it's virtually impossible for someone to leave an abusive situation without support from their employer," she says. "We know that two thirds of employees lose their jobs due to reasons stemming from their abuse — the abusive relationships are not staying just at home; they are very much impacting the victim's relationships at work and their productivity. You really can't separate the two." 

But HR departments are far from experts in domestic abuse and could end up making a situation worse if they're not careful. So what can they do to adequately and proactively support employees who may be stuck in abusive relationships? 

The first step is to partner with organizations that are experts on this topic, Oppenheim says. This means sharing resources and information on domestic abuse hotlines, shelters and clinics. Buck and Oppenheim recently launched a similar initiative at nextOpp Search called Hire One, Help One. Every time a candidate is hired through their firm, they donate career coaching services to a survivor of domestic violence. 

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Even without enlisting the help of external organizations, there's a lot of internal changes HR executives can make or advocate for that will make a difference, too. 

"The best thing HR departments can do is be proactive and make sure that they have a program in place, and that they have training in place and seminars where people are talking about domestic violence," Buck says. "Get it out of the shadows and ensure that their employees know that their human resources department at their workplace is a safe space that they can come to if they find themselves in this situation, and that they will be assisted confidentially without being discriminated against and certainly without putting their livelihood at risk." 

Leaving an abusive relationship takes time, as many cases involve court dates, finding new housing as well as physical and mental health appointments — and employees need support at every step of the way. Offering more PTO  — even making it unlimited — could be very beneficial, especially for employees not ready to bring the issue to their employers just yet. 

"You cannot say as a company that you care about an inclusive environment without addressing domestic violence," Oppenheim says. "Everyone wants to work for an employer that cares today because work life is so blurred.  Having policies around this and talking about it means that you are that type of employer."