DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION ZONE


Employee Assistance Programs: Partners in Prevention By Maya Raghu


Domestic and sexual violence have significant impacts upon the workplace including health care costs, loss of productivity, employee retention issues, and legal liability. Many workplaces are concerned about the mental and physical well-being of their employees, because healthy, happy workers are usually more productive workers. Accordingly, many organizations provide employees with access to employee assistance programs (EAPs). EAPs are a set of work-based professional services which assist individual employees to address and resolve health, family, substance abuse, or


emotional concerns, and thereby also assist workplaces to address productivity and performance issues. 1


An EAP can be a valuable resource for organizations seeking to address the workplace impact of domestic and sexual violence in two ways: (1) responding to individual employees with confidential and professional assistance; and (2) assisting organizations at the strategic level to create a comprehensive prevention and response program. The workplace impact of domestic and sexual violence is still an emerging issue, and EAPs who develop strategic expertise in identifying domestic and sexual violence issues, and designing and implementing workplace programs, can distinguish themselves to potential clients in addition to keeping workplaces safe and produc- tive.


Too often, workplaces only begin to address issues of domestic and sexual violence after a tragedy has occurred. The cost of preventa- tive measures is far outweighed by the formidable human and economic costs to employees, business, and reputation after a violent incident. For more information on designing a comprehensive workplace violence program, see the Workplaces Respond website.


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Boston Marathon Tragedy: Providing Psychological First Aid to Those Affected In the aftermath of the tragedy at the 2013 Boston Marathon, people will need mental health support as much as medical support. Therefore, it's crucial to help medical professionals, first responders, family members, and victims both administer or receive the proper psychological first aid.


This mental health awareness toolkit provides first responders—whether they are disaster response workers, parents, caregivers, or teachers—with specific tips for responding effectively to people in the wake of a disaster. The information is meant to help alleviate painful emotions and promote hope and healing.


Get the Disaster Response Kit - Price: FREE (shipping charges may apply) Continued on page 11


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