Domestic Violence in the Workplace
Domestic violence at work is possible. This crime is not confined in the four corners of the home. It follows you wherever you go, literally and figuratively. This is because domestic violence is not defined by the place rather by the perpetrators who can go into your workplace to harass you or let the bruises they made haunt you even when you are in the comfort of your friends.
Domestic violence in Las Vegas sadly continues to be a trend and it also affects the employment of many of its citizens. On this article, we will talk about how domestic violence and employment and what you could do if you are charged as the perpetrator.
The impact of domestic violence at work
There are many cases of employees still going to work despite experiencing severe domestic abuse. And the knowledge of the company of these cases is depending on whether the abused wants to confide or hide the signs at all. No matter the case, domestic violence greatly affects the workplace. First, it can dampen the performance of the employee, absences will be incurred and the quality of their work will suffer. According to The Department of Labor, productivity suffers $1.8 billion loss due to employees who are victims of domestic violence.
People in the workplace can also severely affected by domestic violence. Their mood to work is stifled because of the problem and due to fear of the perpetrator coming in and carrying out the domestic violence at work.
Needless to say, domestic violence is like a condition that infects everyone that is around it and just like a sickness, it is treatable and in ways, very preventable.
The steps to take against domestic violence at work
It should be a company’s conscious decision to educate themselves about domestic violence at work as it can happen to any of their employees. Training, seminars, and even support groups about Nevada’s domestic violence policy and the crime as a whole should exist in a company, especially if there already is an ongoing case of it in one of the employees.
Safety plans are also something everyone in the company should work on together to help an employee who is a victim of domestic violence. These are kits and other things a victim should have as well as a strategy on how to escape and which numbers to call. Offices should also be supportive of the victim, especially if they are thinking about taking the case to court.
Employers in Nevada are mandated to provide leave for domestic violence victims. According to the domestic violence policy written in the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 608.0198, any employee who has been employed for at least 90 days and is a victim of domestic violence is eligible for not more than 160 hours of leave in one 12-month period.
These might seem simple steps but it will help strengthen a victim so they can be braver to put the matters in the hands of the law.
If you are accused of domestic violence in the workplace
It could happen. Your spouse going to work and spreading gossip of you domestically maltreating him or her. Since you are at home and no one of the employees or the employers personally know you, a stigma could grow. Next thing you know you are treated by everyone as an abuser and eventually you will be arrested for a crime you did not commit. Other possible angles could you be domestically abusing someone back at home or you abusing a family member that is working with you at the company.
If this is currently happening to you, the first thing you need to ensure is that there is a criminal defense attorney from Las Vegas or elsewhere in Nevada that specializes in domestic violence that will help you. Your accuser could use the accounts of his or her co-workers as evidence against you so along with your attorney, you should plan counter-defenses. You could argue that the testimonies are from a fabricated story of the plaintiff.
As someone falsely accused of domestic violence, you need all of the support you could get. Domestic violence is a closely watched crime in Nevada and if the domestic violence and employment mesh together, you can be subjected to the State’s laws. With this, expect everyone against you to very intolerable and you would have to work hard in proving your case.
