Security Leadership and ManagementFire & Life SafetyPhysical Security

Managing Domestic Violence in a Work at Home World

The Struggle Can Be Real

Every year, according to a Justice Department study, approximately 18,700 violent workplace events are committed by an intimate of the victim: a current or former spouse, lover, partner, or boyfriend/girlfriend. Under normal circumstances, it is not uncommon for the abuser to seek out the abused partner at work, which can put not only the victim in danger, but his/her co-workers as well. Again, this is under normal circumstances. Some security professionals may believe that a work from home environment will limit the amount of workplace violence reports received from their enterprise locations. While that may be true with respect to co-worker, customer and other third-party violence, threats and harassment, it does not include the new dynamic of sharing home and workspace with family members and loved ones.

The New Temporary Normal

While many people regard working from home as a goal for overall work-life balance, those who find themselves actually doing their work from home report higher levels of stress, according to a 2017 study by the United Nations. This news may come as a shock to many people who consider a work-from-home lifestyle to be one that is less stressful and marked with more personal freedom…especially when the work-from-home lifestyle isn’t voluntary and you add the stresses of a COVID-19 pandemic and the rest of your family also being confined to the home. “Over the past few weeks, as the economic and social pressures and fear have grown, we have seen a horrifying surge in domestic violence,” said United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.

It is absolutely necessary for those working from home to take care of their emotional and mental well-being for their sake and for the sake of their families. This means being able to identify when that status quo begins to break down and shift. Do you and the employees you are tasked with protecting know what warning signs to look for, not only in themselves, but in family members as well? If these signs manifest, do you and your employees know what can be done about it?

Most relationships have a degree of “stress fractures” that may be coped with by tolerance or having the ability to “take a break” or “get away”. But with quarantines and household confinement becoming the new temporary norm for most, these safeguards may no longer be feasible. This places a greater risk for destructive behavior to manifest and negatively impact loved ones. Humans also have a need for the feeling of privacy and safety and may be placed in a situation where privacy has to be discussed and even negotiated. Most individuals can tolerate certain levels of discomfort or tension because there is a foreseeable end to the tension, whether it’s the end of a conversation, end of a work day, end of a project, there is an end in sight. While the same is still possible during home confinement in most healthy relationships, the same may not be possible in a less-than-healthy one. If domestic violence, relationship tension, substance abuse, or mental illness are mixed in, the order to stay “safe at home” may not provide the safest environment.

So, what happens when the struggle is real?

When the abused no longer has a place to go to get space from their abuser, the potential for domestic violence escalation increases. However, employees need to know that just because they are not working on their employer’s premises, does not mean they are not alone in dealing with this matter. Just because they are a victim, does not mean they are without assistance.

Impacts of Domestic Violence

In addition to its impact on safety, domestic violence costs employers in several ways: absenteeism, inability to concentrate, lower morale, and health care costs. As security professionals, it is up to us to ensure that our company’s employees are able to operate in a safe environment and perform at their highest capacity. As such, addressing the problem of domestic violence the company’s workplace violence program is necessary. Affording measures to prevent domestic violence-related incidents when threats present themselves at the workplace (or in the case of the new temporary normal, work-from-home place) fall within an employer’s broader legal obligation to provide a safe workplace and prevent violence.

How to Adapt a Workplace Violence Program to a Domestic Violence Dynamic

The following are strategies for incorporating a Domestic Violence Prevention Program into an employer’s Workplace Violence Prevention Program:

Commitment

Security professionals must demonstrate their commitment to support domestic violence victims and to take the protective steps necessary when violence occurs. This should not only focus on the victims, but the abusers as well. Not every employee involved in a domestic violence incident is the abused, he/she may be the abuser.

Multidisciplinary Approach

The most effective approach to a domestic violence program is to include the knowledge and expertise of security, human resources, and legal departments, with the support of senior management. Those tasked to be a part of the Threat Management Team should have training regarding domestic violence and the methods of response appropriate for the individual cases. This training is available, often at no cost, from community groups who provide domestic violence assistance.

Recognition

Employees, supervisors and security personnel should learn how to better recognize signs of domestic violence behavior. One point that should be emphasized is that domestic violence has a tendency to escalate in frequency and severity over time if the cycle is not broken.

Warning Signs of Domestic Violence Behavior

USING COERCION AND THREATS

Making and/or carrying out threats to do something to hurt * Threatening to leave, to commit suicide, to report to welfare, etc * Making him/her drop charges * Making him/her do illegal things

USING INTIMIDATION

Making him/her afraid by using looks, gestures, actions * Smashing things * Destroying his/her property * Abusing pets * Displaying weapons

USING EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Putting him/her down * Making him/her feel bad about him/herself * Name-calling * Making him/her think he/she’s crazy * Playing mind games * Humiliating him/her * Making him/her feel guilty

USING ISOLATION

Controlling what he/she does, who he/she talks to, what he/she reads, where he/she goes * limiting outside involvement * using jealousy to justify actions

MINIMIZING, DENYING AND BLAME

Making light of the abuse and not taking his/her concerns about it seriously * Saying abuse didn’t happen * Shifting responsibility for abusive behavior * Saying he/she caused it

USING CHILDREN

Making him/her feel guilty about the children * Using the children to relay messages * Using visitation to harass him/her * Threatening to take the children away

USING ECONOMIC ABUSE/PRIVILEGE

Preventing him/her from getting a job * Making him/her ask for money * Giving an allowance * Taking his/her access to money * Not including in big decisions * Being the one to define roles without his/her input

Prevention

Employers should consider taking the following steps to ensure their workforce is aware of the support being provided:

Educate employees on the basics of domestic violence, including signs of an abusive relationship
Encouraging employees to contact supervisors, human resources, or security personnel about concerns related to domestic violence, without fear for their job or future career prospects
Inform employees as to how and where they can find legal, psychological, or financial assistance when confronted with a domestic violence issue. Supervisors and members involved would benefit greatly to learn what domestic violence resources exist in their communities so they can afford this information to their employees.

Multiple reporting options should be afforded to employees who may not have the luxury of picking up a phone without receiving repercussions from their abuser. My department has made phone numbers, emails and online reporting forms available to those who are in need of assistance with workplace and domestic violence issues.

For some, a lack of positive support from those in their immediate space may lead to emotional isolation. However, identifying the resources that are available to employees and those within their household may increase awareness that social distancing doesn’t mean isolation from support resources. Employees experiencing violence at home should be encouraged to seek assistance from their employer’s employee assistance program, security department, domestic violence counseling agencies and/or local law enforcement.

Resources/Information

Work-Life Balance Checklist

How to Cope with Coronavirus Anxiety

National Domestic Violence Hotline

1.800.799.7233

24/7/365 Support

Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence, a Department of Justice-funded National Resource Center authorized by the Violence Against Women Act

National Center for PTSD

1.800.273.8255

24/7/365 Support

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

1.800.662.HELP (4357)

24/7/365 Support

Alcoholics Anonymous

Now offers online meetings to offer support those struggling with substance abuse.

Al-Anon Support Group

Al-Anon is a mutual support group of peers who have been affected by a problem drinker in their lives. This group now offers online meetings.

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Amanda J Vutsinas is a well-respected security professional, specializing in investigations, threat management, intelligence analysis, and workplace and domestic violence prevention. She has over thirteen years of private and public sector security experience, with leadership roles in Corrections and an Energy exploration and production company. Vutsinas is currently the Safety and Security Program Manager for GuideWell, Florida’s largest health solutions company. During her career, Vutsinas has monitored numerous threat groups, conducted both internal and external investigations, and managed threat incidents and business continuity operations. She also specializes in emergency management. Vutsinas has successfully implemented a corporate security threat management program which includes monitoring and managing threats, analyzing security data, conducting investigations, monitoring open source intelligence platforms, and policy/procedure development. She has successfully implemented and continues to develop an enterprise security/ law enforcement partnership program with Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and serves as the law enforcement liaison for GuideWell. Amanda holds a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) certification from ASIS International and serves as the Certification Chairperson and the Law Enforcement Liaison Co-Chair for ASIS International's North Florida Chapter. She is a member of Infragard and holds multiple certifications through the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Infrastructure Protection, and the North American Center for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response (NACTATR). Vutsinas holds a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Leadership and Management from Florida Gulf Coast University. She also holds a dual Bachelor of Science in Criminal Forensics and Criminal Justice from Florida Gulf Coast University.