“When things aren't going well at home and at work, it is hard”: What can companies do about domestic violence?

Domestic violence has considerable professional repercussions. Abusive partners isolate victims, damage their self-confidence, belittle them, instill doubt, and create an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear. Such mechanisms of domination, control, and isolation could have consequences for the professional lives of the victims, including absenteeism, decreased performance, and errors. These professional consequences can further isolate the victims because organizational actors, often unaware of or not understanding the domestic violence the victims are experiencing, can hold them accountable for poor work outcomes. This paper reports on action research conducted at EDF, a large French electricity company, and sheds light on the role of the employer in supporting victims of domestic violence, particularly by proposing a set of social and human resources practices that could help the victims escape from abusive situations. However, while it is important for organizations to undertake initiatives in addressing the cases of domestic violence, such involvement remains voluntary and depends on the goodwill of employing organizations. That is what some labor unions wish to change by advocating new professional rights for victims of domestic violence at national levels.