Emergency Preparedness and Response

Private Lives, Workplace Problem: Identifying Domestic Violence at Work

In 2011, California School Teacher Carlie Charlesworth divorced her husband. Because he had a history of violence, the court granted Charlesworth a restraining order against her ex-husband, Martin Charlesworth. Despite the restraining order, in January 2013, Martin Charlesworth showed up in the parking lot of Holy Trinity School in El Cajon, prompting a school lockdown that lasted until police arrived. As a result of the incident, Carlie Charlesworth was fired—in the interest, as the diocese said in her termination letter, of the “safety of the students, faculty, and parents of Holy Trinity School.”

In the wake of her dismissal, Charlesworth campaigned for a change in California law that took effect on January 1, 2014: Victims of domestic violence in California are now protected from discrimination at work, and employers are required to take reasonable precautions to secure the workplace against domestic violence. Fifteen other states and Washington, D.C., have similar laws, as do a number of major cities. As simple and attractive as it might appear to simply send domestic violence victims packing and thus secure the workplace, it is increasingly illegal to do so.


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Identifying Domestic Violence Victims at Work

Many women are afraid to speak up at work about domestic violence for fear that they will suffer retaliation or discrimination, as Charlesworth did. Unfortunately, that reticence puts employers in a dangerous position: You cannot take steps to secure the workplace if you are not aware of the imminent threat.

To protect both domestic violence victims and your entire workplace, train your supervisors to be aware of the signs that a worker might be experiencing violence away from work. An abused worker:

  • Has unexplained bruises that don’t seem to fit the injuries
  • Wears inappropriate clothing that may be covering up injuries
  • Seems distracted at work
  • Has a high rate of absenteeism
  • Appears anxious, upset, or depressed
  • Receives repeated, upsetting telephone calls during the work shift


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Supervisors who notice these signs should talk to the employee privately, telling the employee what signs they noticed and expressing concern about possible abuse. They should be supportive and keep the information confidential, except for those individuals who need to know, such as security personnel. They should be aware of company policies addressing leave for victims of domestic violence (in many states, the right of victims to take leave from work in order to deal with such situations is legally protected), and be able to offer company and community support, including flexible working arrangements and simple changes that will make the victim safer, such as changing the victim’s telephone extension.

Tomorrow, we’ll look in greater depth at what employers can do to protect the workplace against domestic violence.

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