By guest contributor Erika Evans

President Obama announced Friday that he will sign the expansion of the Violence Against Women’s act to include lesbians, gays, transgender people, Native Americans and immigrants after Congress voted 286 to 138 in its favor.  Vice President Biden noted that there has been a 64 percent drop since he first wrote and pushed the bill in 1994.

Even if there is evidence that there has been a decrease in domestic violence there will never be a time where we should stop addressing it. The Center for Disease Control did a report in 2011 that states that 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States.

The Violence Against Women act website states that there has been an 11 percent increase in the reporting of domestic violence over the past 10 years. This is proof that addressing the issue has made progress.  Also, we have only just begun to acknowledge domestic violence and intimate partner abuse in the work place and need to push forward with doing so to ensure the safety of employees and their right to work in a protected environment.

The only way we can continue to make progress is to keep laws, prevention programs, employment policies and education in place and to address domestic violence in society past, present and future.

domestic abuse · domestic violence at work · domestic violence prevention · employees · employer · management · policies · strategic leadership · training

Discussion · domestic abuse · Domestic Violence · domestic violence in the workplace · management · strategic leadership · victim’s rights · Webinar

Dear readers – This blog ran previously and continues to bring positive impact to readers.  That makes me glad.

Stephanie –

This month of awareness has assisted in bringing together those who work to bring an end to Domestic Violence, as well as move forward legislation to assist victims of domestic violence. As we move forward to October and participate in activities that support in bringing awareness and memorial to this ever present issue, we aid those who are suffering everyday to bring them one step closer to safety, and a healthier life for themselves, and their family. What might be things you can do to stop domestic abuse?

In your place of worship

1. Encourage information about domestic abuse in the congregation’s programs, youth groups, marriage preparation, study groups, etc.

2. Establish a committee to promote awareness of the problem and how the congregation can help.

3. Organize a drive to collect food, toiletries, household goods and other needed items for a local domestic violence service.

In your workplace

4. Display posters or brochures (in break rooms, restrooms, or meeting rooms) to promote awareness of domestic abuse and how to get help.

5. Organize a Brown Bag lunch or other event for co-workers and invite a speaker to talk about solutions to the problem.

6. Ask what policies your employer has developed to keep employees safe from a domestic abuser who threatens the workplace.

In schools and daycare

7. Encourage the editor of the school newspaper to have a special issue about teen dating violence and partner abuse.

8. Write a paper about domestic violence to share with your classmates.

9. Educate teachers and other staff about the connection between child abuse and partner abuse.

In civic organizations, clubs or neighborhoods

10. Invite a speaker to educate organization members about domestic violence.

11. Organize a fundraising event or food/toiletries drive to benefit a domestic violence service agency.

12. Publish information about domestic violence and available resources in the newsletter.

13. “Adopt” a family seeking independence from an abuser, to assist with practical needs.

As a Citizen

14. Ask your local library to stock books on domestic violence and to set up displays to educate the public about the issue.

15. Speak out against domestic abuse: Expressing your view that domestic violence is unacceptable has a powerful effect on changing the norms that support abuse.

16. Write letters to newspaper editors or send commentaries to TV and radio to help raise awareness about domestic violence.

17. Vote for public leaders who take a strong stand against domestic abuse.

18. Call 911 if you see or hear a crime of domestic abuse in progress. Write down license plate numbers, locations, and any other information that may be helpful to law enforcement.

19. Volunteer with a domestic violence service. Organizations need help with office activities, fundraising events, technical and professional services and assistance to clients.

20. Donate used clothing and household goods to a program that gives these vital items to families seeking independence from an abuser.

21. Participate in neighborhood crime watch programs.

Source original for this article: http://www.thepaper247.com/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=22&ArticleID=17559&TM=9137.525

bottom line · Brown Bag lunch · business · Coaching · conflict · consulting · costs · crime victim’s rights · depression · domestic abuse · domestic violence in the workplace · domestic violence prevention · employer · lawsuit · leadership development · legal · management · offender · personal safety · relationships · risk · Speak out against domestic abuse · strategic leadership · stress in the workplace · training · victim · violence

 Years ago I worked for a hospital that had a division that was a physician billing company and we had an employee whom I’ll call “Dee”.  Dee came forward to me in the HR office and said that she was going through a very, very difficult divorce and that her husband was actually stalking her and waiting outside of her door to her house all the time. He was threatening her and threatening the safety of their two young boys who were only three and five years old. And he was also threatening to go to court and say that she was an unfit mother. She was scared that she was going to lose custody. She was scared for her safety and the boy’s safety. As you can imagine that would make it really hard for her to concentrate on the job.

I called my counterpart in Human Resources, a woman who I’ll call “Mary”, who had the same job that I did, but at another division and what Mary and I did was create a job transfer for Dee so that she could go to Mary’s division and work the same hours and get the same pay and do a very similar job to what she was doing for us. And that would really be helpful for Dee because money was critical. That was the one thing that would help her get back on her feet and away from her husband and successfully get divorced  and be able to support the two boys. But then when, and if, the husband ever came to our workplace and looked for her we could truthfully say “She’s not here anymore, and she doesn’t work here.”

The night before Dee was supposed to transfer a couple of her co-workers came to me in my office and said, “Did you know that Dee was sitting out in her car in the parking lot crying her eyes out?” I said, “Well no, I didn’t know that.” I went out there and I tapped on the window, Dee rolled the window down and she’s crying, that kind of sobbing crying that probably all of you have done at one time or another when something horrific was happening.  I said, “What’s going on Dee?” and she cried, “I told that other HR manager I didn’t want the transfer, and she screamed at me and she said, ‘do you know the hoops that I jumped through to get you this position, do you know the time it took me to create this job for you!’” Dee was just absolutely mortified. And I was stunned, stunned that a human resources professional, somebody like you, somebody like me, would have the audacity to re-victimize Dee in the manner that she did. Here Dee was fearful for her life as it was, feared for her children’s safety, and just because this woman had really an ideal situation, happily married, and no children, and just because she couldn’t really understand these situations and wasn’t putting herself in Dee’s shoes, that she only thought about the time it took her to create this position. She didn’t think about Dee at all.

I was mortified, and that was a real turning point for me.  Although I had worked in human resources for many years and had other issues with employees that were dealing with domestic abuse and also grew up with it in my own life. That was really one of the moments, for me, was the intersection for helping HR managers understand the business case for addressing domestic abuse at the workplace. And I don’t know why Dee didn’t want that transfer. I never really asked her, but I’m going to guess that it’s because she knew that if she stayed with us we would validate her and we would do whatever we could do in our power to keep her safe, which is exactly what we had demonstrated by trying to get her that transfer. And the good news about all of that is we didn’t have to replace Dee we were able to retain a really, really valuable employee.  It’s all about making your workplace a safe place to ask for help.  And, it’s things like that, those small changes that have really big positive results that each one of you can do in your own workplaces as well.

How has your workplace succeeded?  What could be improved? If you have comments and suggestions on how to make your own workplace a Safe Place to Ask for Help I’d love to hear them. 

domestic abuse · domestic violence at work · domestic violence prevention · Domestic violence training · employees · Human Resources · management · personal safety · Safe place to ask for help · strategic leadership · training · victim

 Walking my dog this morning I watch a family get into a car for what appeared to be their planned summer vacation. The mom loaded the kids into their car seats and checked that they’d all snapped their seat belts.  Dad said goodbye to another man, maybe the house sitter, or family member they’d just been visiting.  He took a second precaution, following the one his wife just did, and checked everyone was locked and loaded and then slid into the driver’s seat.  Ready for a safe trip, he started the engine.

They passed my dog and me as they headed down the street.  I watched for a while as they went up the street ahead of me.  I watched them go right through a stop sign.

Thoughtless and negligent. Why in the hell would you take the time and trouble to ensure everyone’s safety and then plow right through a stop sign?  Is it the fact that he assumed because he didn’t see an oncoming car there wasn’t one?  Does he take for granted nothing can happen to him – at that intersection?  Maybe the seatbelts were for the next one where he planned to have a car wreck. 

It’s the same blindness I see day after day in the business community; business “leaders” who tell me “when something happens, I’ll call you”.  I sometimes wonder what they’d think if they knew all of us in the domestic violence prevention community know that waiting for a tragic incident to happen is like standing at the foot of a volcano.  When it blows you won’t get away from the lava, rocks and ash fast enough. The lung damaging ash and toxic gases may sneak up on you when you least expect it.  Kind of like a law suit for negligence.

John F. Kennedy said, “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” I’m sure he meant to take care of potential problems before they become major issues.   

I’m assuming the driver of this family car has auto insurance.  Workplace domestic violence training is like insurance.  And like any prevention program, workplace domestic violence should be treated holistically. It should be viewed from a multi-disciplinary perspective with managers of various departments working together to leverage internal strengths and share resources. 

It is not reasonable to believe that an untrained supervisor will know what to do should an employee, or an employee’s “significant other”, become hostile or threatening – many recommended actions may even run counter to a supervisor’s instincts. Training is important to the success of a workplace domestic violence prevention program.

If you are not the one to make “buying” decision in your organization, I encourage you to talk with you managers.  Visit my website http://www.hressential.com/training and take a look at the options available.  Also visit the consulting page on my site.  See what our services can do for you. 

It’s like insurance for your company and all its employees, whether they are personally in an abusive relationship or not.  Like fixing the roof – before the ash and lava fall in.

ash · bottom line · domestic violence in the workplace · management · personal safety · strategic leadership · training · volcano · workplace domestic violence prevention program

Statistics show that:

13% of Americans are likely to have heart disease¹

Almost 20% of Americans are likely to have diabetes¹

One in eight women or 12.6% will have breast cancer¹

One in six men will develop prostate cancer¹

As of 2006, the CDC reports that an estimated 36,828people per 100,000 are infected with HIV²

More than 200,000 people — are unaware they’re infected³

If American adults have come to accept these facts, as the vast majority of them have, then why is it still so hard to accept the fact that 85% of women and 15% of men are victims of abuse?  Just like the above health statistics we understand there are a number of unreported cases so the numbers should be higher that what you see presented.The same is true for domestic violence.Lastly, when you think of the above noted health statistics you know that until someone’s illness is really in advanced stages you will probably never know someone is ill just by looking at them.  The same is undeniably true with domestic abuse.

You don’t know when someone is suffering. You have to have reached a point of trust where the victim is comfortable enough, and feeling safe enough to open up to you. You need to be personally at a point where you understand enough about the dynamics of abuse that you can approach someone you suspect is victimized without jeopardizing their trust and personal safety.

I once had the VP of Human Resources of a very large international organization of 58,000 employees worldwide; boast to me “it doesn’t happen in my company, I never hear about it.”  Well, sadly that’s statistically impossible.  Even more sad was the fact that this VP didn’t have his ear to the ground enough to even know what was going one in his organization.

Do any of your employees exhibit any of the following?

• Become quiet when he/she is around their partner or ex-partner and feel afraid of making him/her angry?
• Cancel plans at the last minute?
• Not have access to money?
• Have their attire dictated to them?
• Stop seeing friends and family members, becoming more and more isolated?
• Explaining bruises to family, coworker’s or friends?

These are only a few of the possible signs of abuse. No one is immune from domestic violence and there are many available resources.  Like the VP of Human Resources I mentioned, you don’t have to see it or hear of it for it to be happening and I’m available to help your organization by visiting:www.hressential.com

Check out other resources too like The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence http://www.ncadv.org/

¹wikianswers.com

²Centers for Disease Control

³Kenneth Mayer of Brown University

bottom line · business · Coaching · company · conflict · consulting · costs · domestic abuse · employees · employer · family · lawsuit · legal · management · offender · personal safety · relationships · risk · training · victim · violence

When I was a little girl, my older brother sometimes pretended to fly like Superman, jumping from couch to chair with a makeshift cape over his shoulders.  I was ten years old the first time I really saw him fly.  That was when my mother’s boyfriend launched him from the living room to the dining room – where he crashed to the floor in a heap.  My brother wasn’t trying to be a superhero, but he was trying to stop this man from hurting our mother.

The boyfriend came and went over the next six years, finally disappearing when I was sixteen. Each time he left my relief was immense. Each time he came back my disappointment was crushing.

My brother and I used to take long walks at night just to get out of the house. I remember one night crunching through snow in five-degree-below-zero weather trying to figure out how we could become emancipated at the ages of twelve and fourteen. Our options looked pretty grim so we dropped the idea and waited for the years to go by till we could be free.

When you’re a kid living with abuse in the home it’s like living on an earth quake’s fault line. You never know when the ground is going to come out from under you. Nothing is safe or secure.  You never know who’s next or what will set it off. You don’t want friends over because something might happen when they’re there.  There’s no one to talk to.  You hold your breath – all the time.  (From my book Battered and Abused, Bringing the Darkness into the Light)

Domestic violence affects every member of the family, including the children. Family violence creates a home environment where children live in constant fear.

Children who witness family violence are affected in ways similar to children who are physically abused. They are often unable to establish nurturing bonds with either parent Children are at greater risk for abuse and neglect if they live in a violent home.

Statistics show that over 3 million children witness violence in their home each year. Those who see and hear violence in the home suffer physically and emotionally.

“Families under stress produce children under stress. If a spouse is being abused and there are children in the home, the children are affected by the abuse.” (Ackerman and Pickering, 1989)

Research shows without question that children will react in different ways.  Variables are due to the child’s gender, age, what they witnessed, if there was someone giving them appropriate love and support, and other factors.  Still children exposed to family violence are more likely to develop social, emotional, psychological and or behavioral problems than those who aren’t.  They experience, lower self-esteem, depression, health issues, growth and development problems.  They may avoid going to school, and once there are often too distracted to do well.  Interviews with teachers has indicated that they are often spending significant time with children with these issues, to the detriment of the other students.

When employers provide resources, support systems and counseling services to their workforce they do a tremendous service to their employees to show they care.  Since often times the workplace is the only possible source of information for an employee who’s every action is monitored by a controlling partner, you can imagine how great it is to be able to find resources for help at the workplace.

Employers who have a qualified Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) in house, or on contract, prove to their employees that they aren’t just blowing smoke in terms of being employee friendly.  They’re walking the talk.  And it comes back to them tenfold in a loyal workforce.  That’s when the employer is the real superhero.

children · Coaching · consulting · domestic abuse · domestic violence in the workplace · domestic violence prevention · employees · employer · leadership development · management · Personal Safety · relationships · strategic leadership · victim

Stevie Award Winners to Be Announced in New York on November 11

Tempe, Arizona – Oct. 13, 2011– Human Resource Essential, LLC was named a Finalist in the Best Entrepreneur – Service Businesses – Up to 100 Employees category in the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, and the companies they run – worldwide.  The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world’s premier business awards.

Nicknamed the Steviesfor the Greek word “crowned,” winners will be announced during a gala event at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Friday, November 11.  Nominated women executives and entrepreneurs from the U.S.A and several other countries are expected to attend.   The presentations will be broadcast live on radio in the U.S.A. by the Business TalkRadio Network.

The happy irony for Stephanie Angelo, Founder & CEO, is that her name also means “the crowned one”.

More than 1,300 entries – a record for the competition – were submitted this year for consideration in 75 categories, including Best Executive, Best Entrepreneur, Women Helping Women, and Communications Campaign of the Year.  Human Resource Essential, LLC is a Finalist in the category Best Entrepreneur – Service Businesses – Up to 100 Employees.

The term at a crossroads” typically means that one doesn’t know which way to turn and what to do.  When Stephanie hit a crossroads in her career as an independent consultant, she realized it was really an “intersection”; past abuse as a child meeting with professional experience in HR. Stephanie realized Human Resource and Management were misinformed and often unprepared to handle domestic abuse spillover into the workplace.

“I’m pleased we found a subject matter expert who specifically addresses the complex dynamics of DV in the workplace from the management and human resource perspective.” said Bobbie J. Fox, Esq. of SCF Arizona

Finalists were chosen by business professionals worldwide during preliminary judging.

Members of the six final judging committees will select Stevie Award winners from among the Finalists during final judging.

“Women entrepreneurs and executives continue to innovate, excel, and impress,” said Michael Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards.  “Regardless of general economic conditions, the achievements of women-owned and –run organizations around the world remain high, and are reflected in this year’s impressive body of Finalists.”

Details about the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.stevieawards.com/women.

About Human Resource Essential, LLC

Human Resource Essential, LLC, located in Tempe, Arizona pioneered a process which translates domestic abuse to determine the financial impact on organizations. We specialize in delivering intimate partner violence organizational impact and training, management consulting and program support for ongoing change.  Learn more about Human Resource Essential at http://www.hressential.com/

business · Coaching · company · domestic abuse · domestic violence in the workplace · domestic violence prevention · employees · employer · leadership development · management · strategic leadership · training

Cullen Hightower said, “A true measure of your worth includes all the benefits others have gained from your success. “ and I think that is such appropriate response to the number of people who are tied up with what measurement can be taken from domestic violence in the workplace training and consulting.  I have long ago realized that most CEOs and CFOs need to know what will benefit the business bottom line.  So when I talk with them I not only give them national statistics on the business costs of domestic violence; but I give them calculations in 11 different areas from their own workplace.  So if I’m talking with five different companies in one week – that’s five different sets of calculations; they are unique to that organization.

Sometimes an executive really doesn’t care about the numbers; they care about the people first, and that’s really, really cool.  But if numbers matter, I have the information.

What it took me a while to realize was that not one client has asked to measure the ROI after our work – they’re happy enough with what they see as positive and ongoing changes at the organization.  They know from communication with management and staff that employees are going to the prepped and trained management or human resource domestic violence designees when they need help, resources or someone to talk to.

So at the end of the day if they are going to measure for their work in addressing domestic violence in the workplace the “measurable results” are the results they want in improved skills and experience across their leadership team to keep the workplace safe, complaint and productive.

Wouldn’t you call that success?

bottom line · business · Coaching · conversation · domestic abuse · domestic violence in the workplace · management · team work · training · violence

If you’re a Human Resource Executive, or C-level manager, finding the time to learn exactly how this is relevant for you is typically low on the totem pole.  There are simply too many other fires to put out each day.  Sadly, most executives refuse to face the potential harm of domestic violence until it too becomes a “fire” in the workplace.

Human Resource Essential intends to make addressing domestic abuse easier to tackle by producing webinar and webinar based DVD from their highly popular executive overview program “It Doesn’t Make Sense and Its Costing Us Millions”.

As an added benefit, this program has been approved for 1.5 (Specified -Strategic) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute.  So while a Human Resource professional can view the webinar of the DVD at their 24/7 convenience, they will also obtain those ever desirable HRCI credits.

Attendees will:

• learn how the organization is affected
• evaluate violence prevention policies
• review mandated laws
• strengthen legal defense
• learn to increase loss prevention
• identify the real ROI of responding to domestic violence
• explore HR best practices for addressing intimate partner violence

 “I found the webinar to be interesting, thought provoking and content driven, which is unusual because usually they’re boring.  I was glued to the computer and it went so fast”, says Jeanette Abdoo, HR Director for a residential home builder.

 To download the webinar, or purchase the DVD, go toour Website:  http://www.hressential.com/ to the Resources page.

bottom line · business · company · costs · domestic abuse · employees · employer · management · violence