Employers have a right and a responsibility to keep their employees safe from violence. Employers could be held liable for sexual violence that happens in the workplace. Even is sexual violence does not occur at the workplace, sexual violence has potential economic consequences to the employer in terms of absenteeism, diminished productivity and lose of experienced personnel. It is important for employers to understand how sexual violence impacts the workplace and how they can prevent violence in the workplace.
- Resources for Employers
- Model Workplace Policies
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Resources for Employers
See the Signs & Speak Out: Become an Upstander by Avon Foundation for Women. This online course is an employer-training program on how to prevent sexual and domestic violence in their workplace focusing on bystander intervention.
Workplace Resources by National Sexual Violence Resource Center. The Sexual Assault Awareness Month Campaigns themes for 2008 and 2009 focused on sexual violence in the workplace. This link provides resources from these two campaigns that employers can use in their workplaces.
The Impact of Violence in the Lives of Working Women: Creating Solutions – Creating Change (17 p.) by NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund (2002). This guide provides information on legal issues for employers around violence against women in the workplace and provides suggestions on how employers can develop violence response plans. This guide focuses on domestic violence but can be applied to issues sexual assault survivors face as well.
Sexual Violence & the Workplace: Employer’s Guide to Prevention (16 p) By NSVRC (2013). When sexual violence occurs in the workplace, it can create a climate of fear and reduce productivity and wellness of the entire staff. The purpose of this guide is to provide employers with information that may help facilitate their engagement in creating a comprehensive violence prevention and response plan in collaboration with community-based sexual violence centers.
Workplace Toolkit by Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence: A National Resource Center. This online toolkit provides resources and materials for employers to keep their employees safe. Items include a safety card for employees, protection order guide for employees, and a training video for supervisors.
Guide for Supervisors (4 p). by Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence: A National Resource Center (n.d.). This guide is for employers on how to assist survivors, what to do if an employee has perpetrated violence as well as other resources for employers.
An Employer, Union & Service Provider’s Guide to Ending Street Harassment (25 p.) by Debjani Roy (2013). This guide explains how street harassment impacts the workplace and provides information for employers on what they can do to help. Listen to a podcast with the author.
Training Exercise: Interact with a Virtual Employee by Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence: A National Resource Center. This online learning tool walks an employer through various scenarios on responding to violence in the workplace.
Guidance for Agency-Specific Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Policies (38 p.) by United States Office of Personnel Management (2013). This document provides federal agencies with direction on responding to violence in the workplace.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration: Workplace Violence provides information on the legal obligation employers have to keep their workplaces safe.
Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence provides articles, research, best practices and other information on a wide variety of workplace violence issues.
Encourage, Support Act! Bystander Approaches to Sexual Harassment in the Workplace (29 p.) by Australian Human Rights Commission (2012). This document illustrates how the bystander approach can be utilized in a workplace setting to prevent workplace sexual violence.
Workplace Policies
Create Your Policy (webpage) by Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence: A National Resource Center. This online tool allows employers to develop a workplace violence prevention policy. It takes an employer step by step through various aspects and allows the employer to customize it to fit their needs.
State Law Guide: Domestic and Sexual Violence Workplace Policies (14 p.) by Legal Momentum (2013). This guide provides example provisions on what should be in a model anti sexual violence workplace policy. It also provides information on legislation or state initiatives that require or strongly suggest employers to adopt a domestic and sexual violence policy for their workplace.
Domestic and Sexual Violence Workplace Policies (2 p.) by Legal Momentum (n.d.). This document provides recommended provisions for a workplace policy addressing sexual and domestic violence.it also provides information on how to best serve survivors in the workplace.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Sexual Harassment and Facts About Sexual Harassment (2009) (1 p.) by EEOC. Provides legal information regarding sexual harassment in the workplace.
Question and Answer for Small Employers on Employer Liability for Harassment by Supervisors by EEOC. This website provides answers to commonly asked questions regarding employers liability for sexual harassment.
Policy Guidance Documents Related to Sexual Harassment by EEOC. This website provides guidance documents for employers regarding sexual harassment.
General Information and Statistics
Information for Employers
Information for Advocates