Impacts of Abuse in the Workforce

There are many impacts of domestic violence in the workforce, including:
  • Reduced employee productivity
  • Increased absence from work
  • Higher costs to replace, recruit, and train employees when victims are wounded or dismissed for poor performance on the job
  • Higher health expenses for the company
  • Strained relationships among co-workers
  • Potential harm to customers, employees, and/or coworkers when abusers enter the workforce and become violent
  • Liability costs in the event that someone is harmed at the workplace (OHSCO, 2010)
  • Disruptive phone calls, threats, harassing emails, inappropriate visits from the abuser, violent confrontations
  • Reduced employee motivation
  • Loss of focus, thereby leading to an increased risk of injury
  • Co-workers are vulnerable, too (individuals who witness domestic violence are at a greater risk of suffering health consequences). This could result in high costs to the employer if co-workers take time off work and are less productive when they are at work.

(WorkSafeBC, 2015)