Spotting Domestic Violence in the Workplace

Domestic violence is a silent epidemic that can be deadly. It is an insidious condition that permeates every social and demographic group, from all walks of life. But when domestic violence victims come to work, there is an opportunity for employers and coworkers to observe signs of abuse. Because there is a growing interest in examining the responsibilities of businesses and organizations when facing intimate partner violence (IPV) in the workplace,¹ detection can facilitate intervention.

As I have discussed previously, research indicates the likelihood of victim disclosure in the workplace can depend on their salary, concern over professional image, and anxiety over anticipatory stigma. Yet studies show that victims are more likely to disclose abuse to coworkers when it is occurring frequently.² Even if they don’t disclose directly, signs and symptoms of their homelife may be visible to sharp-eyed, perceptive colleagues.

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Spotting Visible Symptoms of an Invisible Epidemic

Symptoms of domestic violence are often invisible, at least physically. Injuries can be covered with clothing or they can be internal, including soft tissue injury or even malnutrition, from an abuser withholding food or medicine. But physical red flags also include destruction of property such as a smashed phone or dents on a vehicle without explanation—or attributed to an accident that wasn’t reported. Attempts at covering up property damage are often similar to covering bruises in terms of raising suspicion among concerned peers and coworkers, particularly if there are other signs, whether physical or emotional.

Some of the earliest warning signs that employers and threat assessment teams often miss in the workplace are not black eyes but changes in affect and demeanor, often prompting behavior such as social withdrawal, as well as protective behavior and changes in routine. Here are a few examples.

• Emotion over extracurricular events. The nature of a personal relationship can be detected through professional demeanor, including the way a victim behaves when discussing certain topics, particularly ones that require the victim to be present at an event outside of work hours—such as a happy hour.
• Ringtone reaction. Victims are often startled and frightened when their abuser reaches out to them at work. This reaction is often visible through the way a victim’s demeanor changes when she hears a certain ringtone on her phone, appearing anxious, or even frightened.
• Private phone calls in public. When receiving a call from an abuser in public, a victim will often take the call in private—even if it means leaving an important meeting. Indeed, an abuser may have intentionally timed the call to create the type of job disruption that may jeopardize a victim’s employment. Regarding the content, sometimes other employees can hear an abuser’s angry or accusatory tone of voice through the phone, or the victim may appear traumatized after the call, perhaps even reluctant to go home.
• Physical signs of emotional trauma. Abuse victims often exhibit visible signs of emotional trauma. If they have been up all night dealing with an angry partner, they may not come to work with a swollen nose from a punch but with puffy red eyes from having been up all night crying.

Watching and listening for signs of abuse in the workplace can not only save jobs but it can also save lives. Proactive policies and procedures for detecting domestic violence will offer victims protection and can ultimately result in violence prevention.