The Impact of Domestic Violence in the Workplace: Results from a Pan-Canadian Survey

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon material published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and is available as an open-access article. When workers experience domestic violence (DV) at home, im- pacts are felt in the workplace; however, little research is available on this topic. We conducted an online survey regarding the impacts of DV at work. A total of 8429 people completed the survey. More than a third of respondents reported experiencing DV; among them, more than a third reported that DV affected their ability to get to work, and more than half reported that it continued at or near work. Most reported that DV negatively affected their performance. Almost all respondents, regardless of DV experience, believed that it impacts victims work lives. This research identifies the scope and impact of DV on workers and work- places. The data should assist governments, unions, and employers to enact and evaluate proactive practices to address the impact of DV in the workplace. This course on the relationship between domestic violence and employment is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of [the relationship between domestic violence and employment. The course material includes a literature review of research. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article that includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. A significant benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: Wathen, MacGregor, MacQuarrie Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding [the relationship between domestic violence and employment. Specifically, a professional will: Identify characteristics and risk factors of domestic violence. Recognize the impact of domestic violence on employment and work-related tasks. Describe strategies for preventing and responding to domestic violence. Citation: Wathen, C. N., MacGregor, J. C., & MacQuarrie, B. J. (2015). The Impact of Domestic Violence in the Workplace: Results From a Pan-Canadian Survey. Journal of Occupational and Environmental medicine, 57(7), e65-e71. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000499