When Does Domestic and/or Sexual Violence Become Workplace Violence?
It may be difficult to determine if abuse that occurs at home will come to the workplace. An FBI monograph on workplace violence prevention defines a threat as “Any verbal or physical conduct that threatens property or personal safety or that reasonably could be interpreted as an intent to cause harm.”1 Assumed in that definition are the words “in the workplace,” which includes all worksites and places where employees are engaged in work activities. Some employers confuse non-workplace domestic and sexual violence threats with workplace threats. Employers who take action on a non-work-related threat may be responsible for violating the employee’s privacy or personal rights. Other employers make the mistake of thinking that all domestic and sexual violence threats are merely “personal” threats or private matters. Employers who ignore possible workplace threats may be held liable for not taking action. The safety issues attendant to domestic and sexual violence should not be resolved by
