We are ALL Stakeholders- Family Violence Prevention Month 2022
“Family violence is a community issue, and one that we can all play a part in addressing. Family Violence Prevention month provides us with an opportunity to reflect on steps that we can take as individuals, families and community members in addressing and preventing abusive behavior. For example, there are a lot of myths surrounding family violence, and one of the most impactful things that individuals can do is educate themselves about these myths and speak up against them when we hear them. In speaking out against these myths, we are showcasing that we can be a safe and supportive place for a victim/survivor of family violence can turn to. It is impactful to speak out against these myths not only on an individual level, but a community, provincial and national level as well. Consider familiarizing yourself with legislation that shapes the opportunities that victims and survivors of family violence have to support them. If possible, connect with your political representatives to advocate for changes in legislation and larger systemic changes. No matter where you start your learning, remember that this is an impactful and first step in the creation of healthier and safer communities.”
Did you know that 80% of individuals who experience family violence reported that they experienced it at work? But whether or not you knew that, what does it mean to experience family violence at work? How are work places impacted by family violence?
Firstly, Who experiences family violence?
Anyone.
Regardless of sexual orientation, gender, age, race, religion, economic status, or educational background. Abusers may be current or former spouses, partners, relatives, or friends. And both men and women can be abused or abusive in their relationships.
Why does this matter?
Understanding the stigmas and assumptions we have associated with abuse and abusers helps break down the barriers that prevent us from supporting someone experiencing family violence and the work we can do to eradicate family violence. Because when we make base assumptions about who can be abused or who often abuses, we adopt attitudes that isolate victims/survivors, attitudes that silently (and perhaps unknowingly) labelling a victim/survivor’s experiences as false or make believe, or we begin to believe it is none of our business. And what happens is that these labels may make us complicit to violence. We could ignore the signs, we could restrict access to resources, or we could glaze over someone’s experience by not truly empathizing, listening, respecting, or loving them and their experiences*. But when we recognize the stigmas we feed into, we can begin to work towards creating safe spaces for those experiencing family violence.
Deconstructing those stigmas allows us to recognize that anyone can experience family violence and that family violence doesn’t necessarily ‘stay at home’. Family violence isn’t always limited to one place. The boundaries of experiencing abuse can extend beyond the home to school campuses, public places, on transit, while visiting friends, and even the workplace. And often times this experience is characterized by an abuser following a victim/survivor (v/s) outside of the home.
*Even if we are aware of family violence occurring and know the victim/survivor has chosen to stay in the situation, please remember to respect and honour the decisions of the victim/survivor regardless of whether you have stepped in to support them or not.
Here are a few examples of how family violence can appear beyond the home (not inclusive):
Repeated and frequent phone calls, emails, or other contact towards victim/survivor (v/s)
Multiple attempts at contact towards victim/survivor’s coworkers, friends, relatives, or teachers
Verbal abuse directed at victim/survivor or coworkers, friends, relatives, or teachers
Jealousy or controlling behaviours from abuser
Showing up at locations victim/survivor frequents or visits (and often disrupting others close to victim/survivor- eg. asking many questions about v/s’s daily habits)
Damaging property belonging to the victim/survivor or others (sometimes associated with threats to scare a victim/survivor)
etc.
In the workplace primarily, family violence can impact an employee’s productivity, emotional wellbeing, morale, motivation, and mental health. And that is because whether an individual has an abuser visiting or contacting them at work or not, experiences of family violence always follow a victim/survivor outside of the home. There is fear associated with being away from abusers, there is a risk of potential harm to employees, coworkers, and/or clients at the workplace, and sometimes there are strained relations between coworkers because behaviours of the abuser have impacted others. The experience of one individual may begin to affect others around them, simply because an abuser has brought abuse outside of the home.
We are all stakeholders
When we consider this impact, suddenly we see how ALL of us have a role to play in preventing family violence. The issue is not a standalone issue and never has been. Each of us has a responsibility or a role to play (there is no informal or formal stakeholdership) in preventing family violence or supporting someone experiencing family violence. Because 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced family violence. Our friends could be experiencing it, our family could be experiencing it, our coworkers could be, our regular barista at the coffee shop we frequent could be, that grocery store clerk whose line we like because it moves fast could be experiencing it, or really anyone we encounter could be experiencing abuse . And when we put that into perspective, it means that any point in time someone we could interact with may be emotionally or physically managing the impacts of abuse.
If we remember back to our previous blogs, we’ve discussed the ways anyone can support victims/survivors of family violence by being an ally, being an informal support, being a role model, and ultimately, providing a safe space for respect and listening. Ultimately a big part of being a support to victims/survivors is recognizing that we can empathize with them in the spaces they occupy. In their fear we can sit with them, in their desperation we can listen to them, in their choices we can respect them, and in their stress we can comfort them. And beyond emotionally supporting them, we can also provide support by advocating for them in legislation, providing safe spaces in our homes or social groups for them to share their story/stay when in danger, standing beside them in court if charges are laid, financially supporting organizations and resources that provide professional support, or even just helping them out by dropping off meals or groceries.
There are a multitude of ways we can support individuals experiencing family violence that ALL of us could easily do that the list could go on and on. But truly it is important to remember that supporting someone experiencing family violence in the workplace, in public, on transit, etc. means we are ultimately supporting a healthy community for all of us because we are all impacted by family violence.
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Occupational health and safety (OHS) responsibilities
Every individual in a workplace has a legal responsibility to comply to OHS standards regarding family violence. OHS law’s main idea is that everyone in the workplace share accountability for health and safety, according to the authority and level of control they have. Even though everyone works on a different authorial level, we each share the responsibility for keeping each other safe. You ARE considered a worker under OHS law is you are engaged in an occupation, even if performing services for an organization or employer without being paid.
You are NOT considered a worker under OHS laws if you are:
A student engaged in studies, without any payment
The owner, their family member or an unwaged person working on certain farming and ranching operations
A person doing work for yourself around your home
Remember, violence, whether at a work site or work related, is a workplace hazard. Employers must ensure workers are not subject to or participate in harassment or violence at the work site, Supervisors must ensure workers under their supervision are not subject to harassment or violence at the work site, and Workers must refrain from causing or participating in harassment or violence.
Things you may not have known about ohs laws surrounding family violence
Did you know that in Alberta, eligible employees experiencing family violence (whether at home or elsewhere) are entitled up to 10 days of unpaid, job-protected leave due to the effects of violence?
All workplaces MUST have a developed and implemented workplace harassment and violence prevention plan that includes a prevention policy and prevention procedures, and be in writing and readily available for reference by workers at the work site, either in paper or electronic formats.
What can the workplace do?
Identify Warning Signs: People who experiencing family violence are more likely to report it to coworkers than to others in the workplace, all employees should be educated and trained to help recognize the warning signs and risk factors for family violence, as well as steps to take when reporting is appropriate.
Establish a Support Network: Various parties in a workplace can offer support and assistance to employees experiencing family violence. Working in teams may be a helpful approach to providing a supportive network. Employers/supervisors can also help to connect the individual to services available in the area.
Develop or Support a Safety Plan: Developing an individualized personal workplace safety plan to address situations of family violence and updating it as circumstances change. Share the plans with everyone.
Refer: Seek expert advice for safety planning from a local resource/organization. Threats of violence should be reported and emergency procedures clearly communicated to all. Remember to respect the employee who is experiencing family violence.
did you know?
The Today Centre offers educational workshops for professionals. These workshops, offered by our Educational Specialist Monique (monique.methot@thetodaycentre.ca), walk through helping HR professionals (and other employees) recognize the signs of abuse, how to support an employee experiencing family violence, and also educate on the workplace’s legal Occupational Health and Safety responsibilities regarding family violence.
The Today Centre also offers a variety of informative intro workshops that offer a basic introduction on family violence and types of abuse.
Inquire today about setting up a workshop for your team by selecting the button below.
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Resources
Family Violence and The Workplace Booklet from the Government of Alberta
Cycle of Violence from the Government of Manitoba
Violence and Harassment in the Workplace from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Family Violence- Get Help with Costs to Leave from the Government of Alberta
Workplace Harassment and Violence from the Government of Alberta