Violence Against Women in the Workplace

Although Employee Assistance Programs often incorporate workplace violence prevention and debriefings into their array of services, rarely has any attention been paid to the risks for workplace violence that female employees face. The prevalence in society of violence against women and the increase in violence at the work site could create a swific risk for women at work. An exploration of this risk was undertaken, using three apparent categories of workulace violence: random criminal (perpetrator unknown to victim). worker (perpetrator works at the same company as victim), and relationship or domestic (perpetrator is a family member or significant other of victim) violence. An analysis of the results of the 1991 Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries indicated that of all women who die on the job, 39% were the victims of assault, whereas only 18% of all male fatalities were murdered at work. Of the female homicides, over three-fourths were acts of random criminal violence. Worker violence and its potential for affecting female employees is discussed. Lastly, the effects of relationship violence entering the workplace are explored through the use of a case study. Information on assessment and prevention techniques useful to the EAP professional is included