Tap the exit button to leave this site quickly.

The Hidden Crisis That Costs Corporations Billions


Lynn Fairweather of Presage Consulting and Training and Anne Wintemute of Aimee Says


There are two kinds of people in the business world: those who truly understand the impact of domestic violence on their organization, and those who don’t. Between the two of us, we’ve had countless conversations with HR and security professionals who nod along, acknowledge the seriousness, even say they “care deeply” but take no action. Even though it steadily drains productivity, increases risk, and threatens employee safety, domestic violence still sits in the category of “things we don’t talk about at work”.


And we understand why. Just thinking about intimate partner abuse makes people uncomfortable. It’s easier to treat it as a private matter than a workplace responsibility. We’ve spent years watching organizations struggle to respond effectively, not because of callous indifference, but because they fail to recognize the scope, nature, and workplace relevance of domestic violence. After comparing notes, we realized that many of the roadblocks we run into aren’t unique, they’re universal.


So we teamed up, compared battle scars, and decided to speak candidly about what we see every day: the ways organizations misunderstand domestic violence, underestimate its business impact, and unknowingly absorb massive costs because they believe this problem is “not theirs.” Before we dig into the misconceptions we hear most often, let’s start with the facts that are not up for debate.


Fact #1: Domestic Violence Is a Workplace Issue


Domestic violence is not just physical harm. It is a long-term pattern of control that shapes nearly every aspect of a person’s life. It affects their health, energy, concentration, confidence, and ability to function consistently at work. It even impacts the productivity and wellbeing of their coworkers. And because many perpetrators escalate their behavior when their partner becomes more independent, employed, or successful, the workplace is a common stage for harassment and threats. Up to a third of all workplace violence is perpetrated by current or former intimate partners (BLS), and 57% of mass shootings, most of which happen at the workplace, have roots in domestic violence (Everytown for Gun Safety).


Domestic violence influences:


  • - employee attendance
  • - attention levels and concentration
  • - decision-making and error rates
  • - employee morale
  • - work stoppages 
  • - mental and physical wellbeing
  • - workplace safety
  • - legal exposure
  • - corporate reputation and PR


Companies who ignore domestic violence need to understand that its happening whether they acknowledge it or not, and the impacts are slowly draining their bottom line by millions of dollars per year.


Fact #2: Every Workplace Has Employees Affected by Domestic Violence


Studies show that 21% of all employees, male and female, experience at least one form of intimate partner abuse (CAEPV, 2013). This means that statistically, nearly every organization has employees who are going through this issue. They work in frontline roles, senior leadership, HR, IT, legal, security, and everywhere in between.


Whether they disclose or not, they bring the consequences to work with them. In fact, various studies show that 75%-95% of domestic violence victims say their job was negatively impacted by the abuse. 


Fact #3: Domestic Violence Costs Companies Enormous Money


Research shows that domestic violence causes economic damage due to:


  • - lost productivity
  • - absenteeism
  • - employee turnover
  • - health care utilization costs
  • - workplace disruptions
  • - security interventions
  • - legal costs and liability claims


For example, a company of 1000 employees could be losing around $582,000 annually, while a company with 10,000 employees might lose up to $5,820,000, and one with 100,000 workers could lose roughly $58,200,000.


Domestic violence isn’t a rare event or a niche, “DEI issue”; it’s a real and present business threat.


So Why Don’t More Organizations Act?


After decades of similar work, we’ve heard the same misconceptions surface again and again. Here are the four most common and most damaging:


Misconception #1: “Domestic violence is a personal problem.”


The Truth: It may begin at home, but it never stays there. Domestic violence affects how an employee thinks, feels, performs, communicates, and interacts with others. And when the behavior escalates to threats, stalking, harassment, or assault, the workplace becomes a spillover zone. If someone is terrified, injured, stalked, or manipulated, their ability to work is compromised, making their “personal problem” both a business risk and an employer responsibility. Avoiding acceptance of this reality doesn't change it.


Misconception #2: “It doesn’t happen here.”



The Truth: Mathematically impossible. If an organization employs more than a handful of human beings, it employs people who have experienced, are experiencing, or will experience relationship violence. Most affected employees do not volunteer this information unless they feel extremely safe doing so, which is rare. A lack of disclosures does not indicate the absence of a problem but rather demonstrates the concealed nature of abuse and a culture of employer avoidance. Ignoring domestic violence doesn’t keep it out of the workplace. It only ensures the consequences land there.


Misconception #3: “Our security team can handle it.”



The Truth: Traditional security teams are trained to handle non-domestic workplace violence incidents involving disgruntled customers, coworker conflict, external threats, or opportunistic crime. Domestic violence is categorically different.


Why?


  • - The threat is highly personal and tied to intimate dynamics outsiders cannot see.
  • - Perpetrators are often familiar with the victim’s routines, coworkers, schedules, and worksite vulnerabilities.
  • - The escalation pattern is unique, rooted in jealousy, entitlement, surveillance, and long-term behavioral cycles.
  • - Standard security protocols can accidentally increase danger, by using tactics such as confronting the abusive partner, demanding compliance, or escalating control dynamics.
  • - DV threat assessment is its own specialty, requiring training in behavioral patterns, psychological drivers, separation risk, protective order interpretation, and collaborative safety planning.


Even excellent security teams cannot manage DV-related threats safely without specialized training and coordination with HR, legal, and supportive resources. Domestic violence is not a simple access-control issue. It is a highly nuanced behavioral, relational, and risk-pattern issue. Handling it incorrectly can put employees and the company at significantly greater risk.


Misconception #4: “We already have an awareness campaign.”


The Truth: Awareness campaigns are great at enhancing visibility around an issue, but they’re only effective if an employer offers real support and solutions behind them. Posters are not prevention. EAP brochures are not safety plans. Telling people to “reach out if they need help” is not a system.


Real response and prevention demands:


  • - multidisciplinary threat assessment
  • - private victim support infrastructure
  • - clear reporting channels
  • - trained managers
  • - policies that prioritize safety
  • - HR/security collaboration
  • - accommodations for affected employees


Awareness without infrastructure creates the illusion of readiness, not the reality of it. A hollow campaign does more to reassure leadership than protect employees.


But Here’s the Good News: Domestic Violence Is Also a Predictable, Preventable Business Cost


Once employers treat this as a strategic risk, like cyber threats, fraud, or safety incidents, they can take steps to reduce harm and reduce costs. This is exactly why our two companies, AimeeSays and Presage Consulting & Training have partnered to help businesses understand and mitigate the impacts of domestic violence using two unique new features:


The AimeeSays Workplace DV Cost Calculator - makes the financial impact visible, quantifiable, and impossible to ignore


The Presage360 Workplace DV Response Quiz - identifies organizational strengths and gaps so employers know exactly where to focus their efforts


We’ve made both tools available on each other’s websites because together, these tools give companies what they’ve been missing:


  • - data they can act on
  • - clarity about risk
  • - roadmap for building better policies and safer workplaces
  • - justification for leadership buy-in


When leaders see the numbers and understand the risk, they stop viewing this as a “personal issue” and start seeing it as a business imperative. Awareness is good, but actionable data is better.


The Bottom Line


When employers confront domestic violence directly, with education, policies, assessment tools, and coordinated response systems they reduce risk, support employees more effectively, and strengthen workplace safety culture. With the right tools and training, organizations can:


  • - identify risk early
  • - respond safely and consistently
  • - protect employees without overstepping
  • - reduce liability
  • - strengthen culture
  • - save lives


When companies acknowledge this truth, they stop absorbing preventable risk and start building safer, stronger, more resilient workplaces. On behalf of professionals, researchers and survivors, we call for companies to recognize and accept the impact of domestic violence on their organizations.


Domestic violence is in your workplace.


It is costing your company money.


And it is within your power to address.


For more information, visit:

www.aimeesays.com

www.presagetraining.com