North Carolina’s Office of the Attorney General
Actual Violence
In NC, from 1977 to 1991, 75% of the women killed on the job (non-robbery) were murdered by a former intimate partner. (Killed on the Clock, American Journal of Industrial Medicine 37:629-636 2000)
In NC, the percentage of homicides (52%) on the job was greater for women than the percentage of fatal unintentional injuries (47%) between 1978-1994. (Rodriguez-Acosta R, Emery J, Wolf SH, Richardson D. (1999). Fatal occupational injuries in North Carolina: Databook. Chapel, NC: UNC Injury Prevention Research Center)
Nationally from 1992-1995, 126 murders were committed in the workplace by a domestic partner (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dept of Justice, Domestic Violence survey, as published by the Charlotte Observer, April 22, p. 3C)
Nationally, Homicide is the #1 leading cause of death for women on the job with 20% of those were murdered by their partner. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1993)
Nationally, there are an estimated 13,000 acts of violence against women at work each year by their partners. (Violence and Theft in the Workplace, U.S. Department of Justice, July, 1994)
Another estimate determined that there are 50,000 incidents of violence are committed in the workplace annually. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dept of Justice, Domestic Violence survey, as published by the Charlotte Observer, April 22, 1999, p. 3C)
Effect on Job Performance
Studies have shown that 96% of employed domestic violence victims experience some type of work-related problem due to the violence. (Stanley, Connie, Domestic Violence: An Occupational Impact Study -1992)
Nationally, between 35% and 56% of employed battered women were harassed at work by their batterers; 55% to 85% missed work because of domestic violence; and 24 to 52% lost their jobs as a result of the abuse. (U. S. Gen. Accounting Office, Domestic Violence: Prevalence and Implications for Employment Among Welfare Recipients 19 (GAO report to Congressional Committees Nov. 1998)
An estimated 24-30% of abused working women lose their jobs due to their domestic violence situation. ("Prisoners of Abuse," The Taylor Institute)
American employees miss 175,000 days per year of paid work due to domestic violence. (Gelles, R., Family Violence, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, 1987, p. 13)
37% of women involved in partner violence have felt its effects on the workplace-reflected in lateness, missed work, difficulty keeping a job, and difficulty advancing in their careers. (Results of EDK National Telephone Poll, September 1997)
A study of survivors of domestic violence found that abusive husbands and partners harassed 74% of employed battered women at work. Domestic violence caused 56% of them to be late for work at least five times a month, 28% to leave early at least five days a month, and 54% to miss at least three full days of work a month. They said that abuse also affected their ability to keep a job. (Report on Costs of Domestic Violence, Victim Services of New York, 1987)
96 percent of domestic violence victims (6.2 million annually) say their work/performance on the job is affected (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dept of Justice, Domestic Violence survey, as published by the Charlotte Observer, April 22, 1999, p. 3C)
Impact on the Bottom Line
American businesses pay an estimated $3 to $5 billion a year in medical expenses associated with domestic violence (Bureau of National Affairs, 1990).
Businesses forfeit an additional $100 million a year in lost wages, sick leave, absenteeism, and non-productivity. (Domestic Violence for Health Care Providers, 3rd Edition, Colorado Violence Coalition, 1991)
Employers are aware of this economic burden: 44 percent of executives surveyed say that that domestic violence increases their health care costs. (Roper Starch Worldwide study for Liz Claiborne, Inc., 1994)
Recognition by Business Leaders
9 in 10 senior executives (91%) believe that domestic violence affects both the private lives and the working lives of their employees. (Corporate Leader study by Liz Claiborne, Inc. 2002)
78% of human resources professionals consider partner violence a workplace issue. (Personnel Journal, April 1995: 64)
94% of corporate security directors rank partner violence as a high security problem. (Personnel Journal, April 1995: 64)
A survey of Employee Assistance Professionals showed how they frequently dealt with the issue of partner abuse in the past year, including helping an employee obtain a restraining order (83%) or an employee being stalked at work by a current or former partner (71%). (Harvard University School of Public Health, 1997:30)