Workplace Domestic Violence Leave Laws: Implementation, Use, Implications

Details

• Personal Author:
  Anger WK ; Glass N ; Hanson G ; Laharnar N ; Perrin N
• Description:
  Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV), affecting 30 percent of women worldwide, may affect employment and workplace safety. In all, 16 US states adopted laws providing leave for employed survivors. These qualitative findings are from an evaluation of Oregon's state leave law. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: The authors interviewed Oregon government employees (n=17) with past year IPV and Oregon supervisors (n=10) of past year IPV survivors. Interviews were transcribed, analyzed and coded. Findings: Participants agreed that IPV has an effect on work. They reported positive workplace reactions to IPV disclosure (93 percent positive, 52 percent negative), but also negative reactions (lack of information, confidentiality, supervisor support). Several implications for supervisors were named (workload, being untrained, being a mandatory reporter, workplace safety and confidentiality). Three years after implementation, 74 percent of participants did not know the leave existed, 65 percent of survivors would have used it if known. The main barriers to usage were fear for job, lack of payment, and stigma. The main barriers of implementation were untrained supervisors and lack of awareness. Participants (85 percent) suggested workplace training on IPV, the law and supervisor role. Practical implications: Effective implementation and support of the IPV leave law is important to avoid negative consequences for survivors and the workplace. Participants called for an increase in IPV awareness and supervisor training. Originality/value: These results provide important recommendations to policymakers, authorities and advocates on development, implementation and evaluation of laws adopted to support employed IPV survivors. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Safety Staff Development Violence Women
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Domestic Violence Information Dissemination Intimate Partner Violence Policy Qualitative Research Supervisor Support Supervisory Personnel Training Workplace Leave Law Workplace Policy Implementation
• ISSN:
  1753-8351
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  109-128
• Volume:
  8
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054645
• Citation:
  Int J Workplace Health Manag 2015 Jun; 8(2):109-128
• Contact Point Address:
  Nancy Glass, School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
• Email:
  nglass1@jhu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20080901
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Workplace Health Management
• End Date:
  20140831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:99b0a58c5512c397dcae14e4982a25b6e981d29e95d6f3632c638c783fc8e29c235e5172d953ff1ec4951c5ea9cceae8329359c79e0c88b1f9030ad5454a2672
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217119/cdc_217119_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 236.08 KB ]