Thankful

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the United States and I certainly have a lot to be thankful for. I have a home and a job and enough to eat and I am healthy and I have wonderful friends and extended family.

I am especially thankful that I am safe and secure and loved in my own home. I am not afraid of what may happen when I walk through my door - or when my husband walks through the door. I look forward to seeing him and sharing our day every day. He is an amazing and wonderful individual and I am thankful to God each and every day for the gift of having him in my life.

But - I know this security and safety and love at home is not true for far to many people in the US - and around the world.

On November 25, many around the world observed the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It also marked the beginning of the United Nations’ Sixteen Days of Activism Campaign Against Gender Based Violence. The campaign which culminates with International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2008.

This lack of being safe and secure and loved takes many forms for many around the world -- whether domestic abuse, sexual assault, sex trafficking, harmful cultural practices, or abuse in the context of war and conflict.

So as I am being thankful for my home and family and my wonderful husband, I remember those who are not so safe, and I join with the rest of our world to do what I can to make a difference for them where I can and when I can.

Fortunate Magazine Article on Domestic Violence and the Workplace Now Online

Hello everyone!

The online version of the Fortune article on the impact of domestic violence on the workplace is now available -- it can be viewed at http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/18/news/Domestic_violence_morris.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008112008.

Again -- kudos and thanks to Senior Editor Betsy Morris for such a wonderful article. Please take the time to read it and pass along to others.

Perhaps with Fortune paying attention to such an issue this will truly make a difference for some in Corporate America who had never considered considered the issue of domestic violence and the workplace before.

Leading Corporations Develop National Plan to Engage Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to Address Domestic Violence in the Workplace

This unprecedented initiative focuses on leveraging resources of EAPs to help employers better assist domestic violence victims at work.

Today, major employers such as Gap Inc., Kaiser Permanente, Liz Claiborne Inc., Macy’s and Verizon Wireless, along with leading EAP providers including Ceridian, CIGNA, Magellan Health Services, OptumHealth, ValueOptions and others, announced a new national plan to help employers make better use of EAPs to better assist employees who are victims of domestic violence. The plan, called the S2 Blueprint for Action, outlines the significant advancements that employers and EAPs can implement to increase the level of support and assistance to victims, including:

- Making the business case to CEOs, including the cost to business, liability issues, legal mandates, employee engagement and corporate social responsibility
- Managing the workplace environment, including developing and implementing a comprehensive domestic violence policy, positioning the EAP as a valued and effective resource, and changing communications to include domestic violence prevention in the promotion of health and well-being of employees
- Encouraging employers and brokers to ask about an EAP’s capabilities for identifying and addressing domestic violence issues for the workforce when soliciting proposals, and encouraging EAPs to proactively share their domestic violence programs as value-added strategies for employers when bidding for their business.
- Integrating the expertise of the domestic violence service providers into the referral network offered by the EAP to the employer and providing those resources on brochures, posters, etc., in addition to the EAP.

The plan, developed at a major conference in San Francisco, is the first effort designed to leverage the work of EAPs to address domestic violence as a workplace issue. The S2 Blueprint for Action is available at http://www.caepv.org/about/program_detail.php?refID=35. The conference was organized by the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV).

“We have engaged a powerful national collaboration through the S2 Blueprint,” said Kim Wells, executive director for the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence. “This is the first time employers and EAPs have come together to address domestic violence as an issue that affects productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover, healthcare costs and workplace safety. If employers and EAPs can address these issues, they will provide a true ‘value-added’ service in this difficult economy. ”

Research conducted by the CAEPV indicates that 21 percent of full-time employees are victims of domestic violence. Sixty-four (64) percent of these employees indicated their ability to work was impacted by the abuse going on at home. Among key causes for their decline in productivity, victims noted "distraction" (57%); "fear of discovery" (45%); "harassment by intimate partner at work (either by phone or in person)" (40%); fear of intimate partner's unexpected visits" (34%); "inability to complete assignments on time" (24%); and "job loss" (21%).

CAEPV is promoting the S2 Blueprint for Action, and attendees will participate in a webinar in February 2009, to evaluate their progress and determine next steps. The conference highlighted various ways that well-equipped EAPs can be used to assist domestic victims effectively and economically including:

- Presenting workplace education programs on issues such as recognizing healthy and unhealthy relationships.
- Providing resources including referrals to services such as counseling or legal assistance that can help a victim maintain stability while working.
- Guiding managers in how to best assist employees who they think may be victims of domestic violence.
- Being a valuable part of the “domestic violence response team” that includes management, human resources, security and the EAP to proactively address domestic violence cases impacting the workplace.

The S2 – Smarter, Safer Workplace Conference took place on Friday, November 7 at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco. For more information, visit http://www.caepv.org/about/program_detail.php?refID=35.

About the S2 – Safer, Smarter Workplace Conference
The S2 – Safer, Smarter Workplace conference was presented by the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence. This conference was made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with additional support provided by The Allstate Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation, CALCASA, Health Care Service Corporation and Texas Health Resources. The Technology Sponsor for the conference was the Verizon Foundation.

The conference planning workgroup includes representatives from the following organizations: Chestnut Global Partners; CIGNA; Gap Inc.; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Macy’s West; Magellan Health Services; OptumHealth.

Ok -- the Blueprint is started, the employers and EAPs worked together with incredible energy and enthusiasm along with researchers, those from the domestic violence field, foundations, and many others. We will see what comes next! If you want to check out the "S2 Blueprint" or any of the presentations from the conference, they are all on our website at the link above.

Fortune Magazine November 24, 2008 Issue Addresses Domestic Violence

The November 24, 2008, issue of Fortune magazine contains an article titled "Domestic Violence: Corporate America’s struggle to confront the issue." Fortune is the first such business magazine to cover the issue in this way, and they are to be congratulated for the time and effort taken to put a human face on this business issue.

Great thanks to the writer, Betsy Morris, for her tireless efforts. Coverage includes CAEPV members Allstate, Liz Claiborne, Safe Horizon, Verizon Wireless, and the Sam Walton School of Business at the University of Arkansas.

Above all, the stories of those who have survived (and not survived) domestic violence are told. The online version of the article will be available the week of November 17.

Pick it up, or read it online, and let me know what you think!

Leading Corporations Engage Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to Combat Domestic Violence in the Workplace

This unprecedented initiative focuses on leveraging resources of EAPs and employers to better assist employees affected by domestic violence.

On November 6 and 7, major employers such as Verizon Wireless, Liz Claiborne Inc., Macy’s, and Gap Inc., along with leading EAP providers including CIGNA, OptumBehavioral Health, ValueOptions and others will work together to create a new national plan to help employers make better use of EAPs to help employees who are victims of domestic violence. The plan, called the S2 Blueprint for Action, will outline the significant advancements that employers and EAPs can move forward during the next one to three years to increase the level of support and assistance to employees involved in domestic violence.

The plan is the first such effort designed to leverage the work of EAPs and employers in responding to domestic violence in the workplace. During this fragile economic time, tapping existing resources to assist employees who are victims of domestic violence is critically important. The conference was organized by the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV).

Research conducted by the CAEPV indicates that 21 percent of full-time employees are victims of domestic violence. Sixty-four (64) percent of these employees indicated their ability to work was impacted by the abuse going on at home. Among key causes for their decline in productivity, victims noted "distraction" (57%); "fear of discovery" (45%); "harassment by intimate partner at work (either by phone or in person)" (40%); fear of intimate partner's unexpected visits" (34%); "inability to complete assignments on time" (24%); and "job loss" (21%).

CAEPV is promoting the S2 Blueprint for Action, and attendees will participate in a webinar in February 2009, to evaluate their progress and determine next steps. The conference highlighted various ways that well-equipped EAPs can be used to assist domestic victims effectively and economically including:

- EAPs can present workplace education programs on issues such as recognizing healthy and unhealthy relationships.
- EAPs can provide resources including referrals to services such as counseling or legal assistance that can help a victim maintain stability while working.
- EAPs can guide managers in how to best assist employees who they think may be victims of domestic violence.
- EAPs can be a valuable part of the “domestic violence response team” that includes management, human resources, security and the EAP to proactively address domestic violence cases impacting the workplace.

A powerful national collaboration will be engaged through the S2 - Safer, Smarter Workplace Conference. This is the first time employers and EAPs will come together to address domestic violence as an issue that affects productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover, healthcare costs and workplace safety. If employers and EAPs can strategically address these issues, they will provide a true "value-added" service in this difficult economy.

The S2 – Smarter, Safer Workplace Conference takes place November 6 and 7 at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco. For more information, visit http://www.caepv.org/about/program_detail.php?refID=35.

About the S2 – Safer, Smarter Workplace Conference
The S2 – Safer, Smarter Workplace conference is presented by the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence. This conference was made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with additional support provided by The Allstate Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation, CALCASA, Health Care Service Corporation and Texas Health Resources.

The Technology Sponsor for the conference is the Verizon Foundation.

The conference planning workgroup includes representatives from the following organizations: Chestnut Global Partners; CIGNA; Gap Inc.; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Macy’s West; Magellan Health Services; OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions.