Domestic Violence In The Workplace
Violence in the home affects thousands of working women every day, impacting their ability to provide and care for themselves and their families. It decreases productivity and increases healthcare costs and absenteeism. It interferes with an individual's capacity to accurately, safely and securely perform their duties at work. It has an adverse and disruptive effect on employee morale, and affects the financial strength and success of a company as a whole.
Liz Claiborne Inc.'s Internal Relationship Violence Awareness Program
As an employer, Liz Claiborne Inc. believes that companies have a unique opportunity to provide tools, assistance and resources for employees who need them.
We work to create an environment of support internally, and have had domestic violence and workplace violence policies in place for many years. We offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), as well as
awareness and educational tools—such as posters, payroll stuffers, handbooks and bathroom signs. The EAP maintains trained counselors who are equipped to handle domestic violence cases and provide counseling and referrals. The personnel in our Human Resources, Health Services and Security departments have also been trained to respond to domestic violence cases, and are available to assist any of our employees.
Additionally, Liz Claiborne has formed a Domestic Violence Response Team, or DVRT, which is a committee comprised of representatives from Legal, Security and Human Resources. The DVRT reviews each case that affects or has the potential to affect our workplace in terms of security and performance, and helps to determine the most appropriate course of action—in the best interests of the employee and Liz Claiborne Inc.
As a company, we do what we can to accommodate employees victimized by domestic violence. This includes allowing time off so that employees can seek safety and protection, attend court appearances, arrange for new housing, or take care of other matters. We also arrange for flexible hours, short-term paid leaves of absence, and extended leaves without pay.
