STANDING FIRM: The Business Case to End Partner Violence

Intimate partner (domestic) violence may begin at home, but it comes to work with a victim or perpetrator. Employers are in a unique position to address this issue: increasing safety for victims and accountability for those who perpetrate violence.

• One quarter of workplace violence events in the U.S. each year are related to partner violence.
• More than ONE in FIVE full-time employed adults have been victims of partner violence and 64% of them indicated their work performance was significantly impacted.
• 48% of abusers surveyed report difficulty concentrating on work.

Southwestern Pennsylvania is fortunate to have STANDING FIRM: The Business Case to End Partner Violence as a resource to assist businesses in addressing partner violence in the workplace. STANDING FIRM—one of the only organizations in the nation dedicated to addressing partner violence as a workplace issue— alerts employers to the financial, safety, and human costs of PV in the workforce and provides employers with tools for taking effective organizational action. Nearly 300 local companies and organizations have joined STANDING FIRM and are taking steps to save money and keep their workers safe.

STANDING FIRM offers employers what they need to address partner violence as a workplace issue:

1. RECOGNIZE that partner violence is a business issue that affects productivity and security.
2. RESPOND appropriately from a menu of action steps to address the effects of partner violence.
3. Know how to REFER to existing community resources for services that the employer does not have the expertise or ability to provide

Joining the network of STANDING FIRM employers who are taking a stand against partner violence is free.

Find out more about STANDING FIRM here.

Standing Firm 2014 Awardees

Familylinks, a human service agency based in Banksville, received the 2014 Employer Award for integrating ways of addressing partner violence that keep the workplace safe while helping workers.

What does Familylinks actually do to address partner violence at their organization?

• At every new-hire orientation, employees are provided with resources to get help if they are in an abusive situation,
• STANDING FIRM resources are shared on the company intranet,
• The Familylinks Board of Directors passed the Workplace and Partner Violence Policy in 2013; and
• 50 managers and directors received Awareness and Response training from STANDING FIRM.

Lynette Lederman, Executive Assistant to Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor, is the 2014 recipient of the STANDING FIRM Champion Award. A passionate advocate for social justice and community service, Ms. Lederman immediately understood the importance of addressing partner violence as a workplace issue. She was instrumental in bringing the issue to the City’s Human Relations office, City Council, and the Mayor. The City of Pittsburgh was one of the first organizations to join STANDING FIRM.