this is how employers can help employees who are being abused at home

Domestic violence can intersect with work in all sorts of ways. We’ve seen it in letters here, from the many people worried their coworkers may be experiencing abuse at home to the person whose colleague wanted to fire someone for being a victim of abuse. And some years back, we had an excellent letter from a survivor full of things her workplace could have done to help her, but didn’t.

I recently spoke with Bella Book and Nina Kanakarajavelu of Futures Without Violence about their work to help employers to support workers experiencing sexual harassment, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and here’s our conversation.

Tell us a bit about the work you do in this area.

Nina: I lead our work through the Workplaces Respond National Resource Center, which is an initiative of Futures Without Violence. Our central mission is to equip employers and advocates with the knowledge and tools they need to effectively support workers experiencing sexual harassment, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Many people think of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking purely as personal crises. There is a misconception that these forms of violence happen at home and stay there. But we know from the research and our experience that survivors of violence are in the workforce and that the harms caused by abuse disrupt many aspects of their personal and professional lives. For survivors of intimate partner violence, being employed and having an independent steady source of income is a critical factor in being able to leave an abusive relationship, so protecting that connection to work can be genuinely life changing.

Bella: In a recent survey we did with the National Domestic Violence Hotline (the Hotline), 2,000 survivors shared how the violence they experienced impacted their employment. Many reported negative consequences like losing out on a promotion or being given fewer hours or responsibilities once they disclosed the domestic violence to their employer. Survivors also reported more extreme retaliation from employers, including harassment, discrimination, or being fired because of threats from an abuser or because they took time off to attend legal proceedings or heal from injuries.

Some states and territories have passed laws that make it illegal to fire a survivor who discloses what is happening to them, or that require employers to provide paid time off to employees while they address the violence they are experiencing.

Part of our work is making sure people know about employment laws that explicitly protect survivors. In our survey, 71% of respondents didn’t. Our Advancing Safety Through Employment Rights project is changing that.

People who are being abused / have been abused at home often deeply worry about divulging that to their employers, fearing that it will be held against them and they’ll be stigmatized or even fired. Can you talk a little bit about those concerns?

Bella: Unfortunately, it’s a legitimate concern. In most states and territories, it’s not illegal to fire someone for being a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. It’s also not illegal to treat someone worse because they are experiencing domestic violence. It is wrong, but not illegal. And, even in states where firing someone for being a survivor is illegal, it can be hard for most workers to enforce their rights or hold their employers accountable.

Nina: Concerns about disclosing abuse at work are completely valid and result from shameful gaps in current state and federal law. Disclosing abuse is an intensely personal decision; it means letting people in your professional life see a part of your private life that you may feel embarrassed about, even though you have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed of. People have internalized harmful myths about what causes domestic violence and who can experience it. We try to help employers understand that a survivor of abuse disclosing that abuse is an act of real courage and trust. Every employer should strive to build workplaces where people feel safe enough to ask for help without fearing it will cost them their jobs.

Bella: When someone chooses to trust you with their experience of violence, the first thing you can say is, “Thank you for trusting me with this. How can I help?” And then, listen to what the survivor actually needs to stay safe. Even well-meaning coworkers and supervisors sometimes respond in ways that cause harm when they make assumptions about what the survivor needs to be safe. By trusting the person experiencing harm, you are giving them back some of the power and personal autonomy that the abuse has taken away.

What legal protections do exist for people in that situation?

Bella: So, there are no survivor-specific employment federal laws, but there’s a lot at the state and local levels people should know about. There are four major types of employment protections for people experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Our 2026 report, Work Without Fear, identifies the state and territory laws that currently exist. These protections correspond with the four big employment-related needs that survivors, and the people who support them, have identified as crucial to staying economically secure while navigating violence.

First, survivors need access to time off work. Most of the services that survivors need access to — like obtaining a protection order, accessing counseling and medical care, relocating — are only available during business hours. No survivor should have to choose between work and safety. Most survivors live in a state or territory with at least one type of leave law available.

Ideally, this time off is paid and job protected. “Job protected” is legal jargon, but it just means “it is illegal for my boss to fire me for doing this.” 20 states and the District of Columbia have laws that require most employers to provide Earned Sick and Safe Time. These laws explicitly say that when an employee needs time off for specific safety-related activities, their employer must give them a set minimum amount of paid time off. Most provide around 40 hours of paid time off per year as that minimum.

13 states have state-run paid leave programs that a survivor who needs extended time off (usually more than seven days total) can apply to. If the application is approved, they will receive regular payments from the state while on leave. These programs are a form of social insurance, where every employer and employee pays in a little bit. Workers then draw out payments as needed. Some state programs only provide these payments for health-related reasons, but others extend coverage for safety reasons. And other states have unpaid time off laws for survivors or specifically for crime victims that can be used to attend and prepare for legal proceedings.

Second, survivors need access to income if they must leave their job. For many survivors, job loss is unavoidable. It may be because the person you are fleeing is showing up at your job and threatening you. It may be because you need to relocate to be closer to family or other support systems.

43 (and soon 44) states and territories have explicit language in their unemployment insurance laws that say survivors who must leave their jobs to be safe may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. Accessing these benefits gives survivors steady income while they look for new jobs, which is a huge support.

Third, survivors need flexibility in how they work, which can help them address the employment sabotage that happens in abusive relationships. Employment sabotage can be an abuser calling or texting incessantly during work hours, showing up at a survivor’s workplace, destroying workplace equipment, or finding other ways to sabotage their partner’s job.

In 11 states, there are survivor-specific “reasonable accommodation” laws that require covered employers to engage with their employees about specific things they need to stay safe. This is patterned after the reasonable accommodations process under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but it is distinct. Survivor-specific accommodations can be things like security personnel walking the survivor to a car or changing a survivor’s shift or desk assignment to separate the survivor from the person causing them harm, or even scheduling flexibility.

Fourth, survivors need to be able to ask their employers for what they need and share what is happening to them without fear of being punished or discriminated against. Only nine states explicitly prohibit employment discrimination based on someone’s status as a survivor. This type of protection is crucial because if someone does not feel safe disclosing to an employer what they are experiencing, their ability to access the other employment protections available to them is severely limited.

Regardless of what state they’re in, what can employers do to help employees who have experienced domestic violence?

Nina: It is important to remember that laws establish the floor, but not the ceiling of what employers can do. The most important thing any employer can do is create a workplace culture where people can come forward without being punished or judged.

The first step to creating this type of culture is developing clear, written workplace policies that explicitly state the company’s commitment to supporting survivors, maintaining confidentiality, and protecting workers from discrimination and retaliation. When employees know that these policies are in place and are consistently enforced, it changes their calculus around disclosure.

Employers should also offer training on the dynamics of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This training can combat misinformation about abuse. Employers can train staff, especially managers, on how violence harms workers and the workplace, so that when someone does come forward, the first response is compassionate and helpful rather than awkward or inadvertently harmful.

Workplaces Responds offers sample policies and training materials for employers who want to make sure their workplace support survivors.

Bella: State laws can provide great models that any employer can adapt to their own workplace. Even in states without survivor-specific employment laws, employers can proactively offer paid leave so survivors can address needs arising from abuse. Employers can provide survivor-specific reasonable accommodation and information about unemployment insurance when someone must leave their job. Most importantly, employers can commit to not discriminating against someone based on their survivor-status and clearly communicate that commitment to their employees.

Another important thing employers can do is build relationships with local victim service agencies so that when a survivor discloses abuse, staff know how to provide a referral to a trusted organization.

When you say that employers should offer training on the dynamics of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, I think a lot of people’s first response to that might be to wonder if that’s overstepping for a workplace, unless it’s specific to how those things can intersect with work. Personally, just based on the letters I get about how often employers mishandle mental health topics, I would worry about employers getting it really wrong, or implementing it in a way that is harmful to people — unless it’s clearly limited to addressing the ways those issues can intersect with work, and keeping it tightly focused on what employers can/should do. So I’m curious about your thoughts on that!

This is such an important point! We never recommend employers try to develop or deliver this type of training on their own. They don’t have to. There are experts in almost every community ready to support survivors. Employers can build relationships with local domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy organizations, contact their state domestic violence or sexual assault coalitions to request a training, and work with national training providers (like us at Futures Without Violence).

An effective training should be developed in partnership with people who have specialized knowledge and expertise in supporting survivors. Our approach is to co-develop the training with the employer so that it is both comprehensive and tailored to the needs of a specific workplace. Regardless of the setting, the goal of the training should be to help employers, supervisors, and coworkers understand (1) how domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking show up at work (2) that this likely impacts people at their workplace through both employment sabotage and trauma responses and (3) there are ways to respond that support survivors (and, unfortunately, ways that would further harm them).

The first part of any training should be to dispel myths and stereotypes about why people may stay in abusive relationships and how power and control can cause harm, even if there isn’t physical violence. It can also go into what it means to be survivor-centered and how protecting a survivor’s autonomy means respecting their right to privacy while being supportive. The goal here isn’t to deputize employers to “diagnose” domestic violence but rather to dispel myths about why survivors stay, or why abuse happens.

The second part of a training should address how the experience of surviving violence can affect work performance. The goal here is to help decision-makers at work recognize that an employee who seems distracted, receives a barrage of personal calls at work, or whose performance has declined may be navigating the dynamics of abuse and need support and a connection to resources rather than a performance improvement plan.

Finally, the third part of the training should focus on how workplaces can create systems that support survivors and prevent violence from occurring. We often see employers only engage when something dangerous happens, like an abuser showing up at a worksite. When staff are learning about domestic violence and workplace safety issues for the first time in the middle of a crisis, long-term change can be harder to create. And we know violence tends to escalate over time. The warning signs are often visible long before a situation becomes a crisis. Therefore, training people to recognize warning signs early and to know how to respond compassionately and respectfully is a practical and effective approach.

Employers don’t need to be experts on domestic violence to create a safe and supportive workplace. There is a strong and vibrant community ready to support survivors, but often employers don’t tap into it. When they do, it sends a strong message to survivors in the workplace that they’re not alone.

I’ve sometimes had letters from people who were concerned a coworker was being abused at home, and it’s really hard for people to know what to do (particularly since it’s often hard for people much closer to the person to help, so a coworker really may not be well positioned to assist them). What options are available to colleagues (not necessarily employers) who want to help in that situation?

Nina: It can be really hard when you notice something might be going on with a coworker and are not sure how to help them. The data tell us that the single most dangerous time in an abusive relationship is often when the survivor is trying to leave, so encouraging someone to “just leave” without understanding their circumstances can cause real harm.

The instinct to help is a good one. The important thing to remember is that you do not have to know exactly what to do in every situation; just showing up with consistency and kindness without judgment can make an enormous difference.

Here are a few tips:

1. Recognize you can’t “fix” the situation, and trying to push too hard can backfire.
2. You do not have to name what you think is happening. A simple, private “I’ve noticed things seem hard lately. I just want you to know I’m here if you ever want to talk” can plant an important seed.
3. If the person does open up, listen without minimizing what they share and resist the urge to tell them what to do.
4. Keep what they share private and ask how you can support them.
5. Be ready with a resource or referral, like the National Domestic Violence Hotline number or for their local shelter. The National Domestic Violence Hotline number is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

Survivors know best how to safely navigate their situations. They need to make their own decisions about safety and disclosure. Being kind, consistent, and non-judgmental makes it easier for someone to ask for help when they are ready.

Workplaces Respond help employers, supervisors, and coworkers create more survivor-friendly workplaces. Some of their resources:

• Recognizing the Signs has some common signs that someone you work with may be navigating abuse and identifies some steps to take if you suspect something is going on.
• Trauma-Informed Supervision is a resource on how to incorporate trauma-informed practices into your supervision.
• Workplaces Respond and the National Domestic Violence Hotline/Futures Without Violence 2025 report, The Intersection of Abuse: Survey on Survivor Experiences in the Workplace, has insights from over 2,000 domestic violence survivors about how the violence they experienced impacted their ability to work.
• These quick reference charts provide information on unemployment insurance, employer-provided leave from work, survivor-specific workplace accommodations, and survivor-specific anti-discrimination laws.
• They also offer a toolkit on survivor-specific employment discrimination that can help you identify when you are experiencing this form of discrimination.

Legal Momentum has short summaries of each state’s and territory’s employment laws that can help survivors. They also operate a national hotline service dedicated to helping survivors access their employment rights. Their number is 1-800-649-0297.

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