Domestic Violence in the
Workplace is Your Business

Story from a victim’s perspective:

I used to work in an office.  Joe said he was cutting back on expenses and would take me to work and back.  He accused me of having an affair one night and hit me. Next he demanded that I spend my lunch hours with him or be alone. He began parking in the office parking lot several days a week to check up on me.  Sometimes Joe sat in the car, drove by or parked. I had to wave my hand back at him every so often.  Several people asked why we did it. Two asked how I could stand it. My team members thought we were a strange couple. I just made up jokes. At first I loved all the attention: he wanted to know if I was OK and safe all the time. It didn’t matter then if he got angry because he was so cute. Why didn’t someone ask me, “Are you OK?”

Story from a co-worker’s perspective:

I’ve worked with Ramona for about two years. During that time she didn’t date much. So it was wonderful hearing about her new and caring boyfriend, Samuel. Ramona couldn’t believe someone actually loved her so much. After a whirlwind romance of three months, they got married. It’s strange now: seven or eight times a day she answers her cell phone and goes into the women’s bathroom to talk. I can hear Samuel yelling before she even leaves her desk. I remembered how much easier-going and happy she had been before Samuel…always time for coffee or a movie. Ramona has changed a lot since her marriage—scared, withdrawn, not taking care of herself, and always rushing home. I’ve been thinking of telling her, “I am here for you.”

Story from a supervisor’s perspective:

We hired Gloria three days ago.  Actually I can’t believe we got someone with her skills and qualifications to join us. Looks like she’s been through quite a few job changes in the past few years, but she could do great here. She called in sick on her eighth day here. Strange, she looked fine the day before but you never know. She called in sick again on day 14.  I noticed she had a purple bruise around the right side of her neck. I began to think about why she always wore long sleeve shirts in the middle of summer. People in our line of work aren’t usually socialites, but she has never even mentioned her home life.  I’ve heard from others she has been confused and not able to focus at work a lot lately. Today she arrived late with her arm in a sling. I know Gloria only as her manager. Should I tell her, “I am worried about your safety”?