To the Editor:
As described in “Settlement in New York in Domestic Abuse Case May Set Broader Precedent” (Business Day, Nov. 19), New York State’s attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, is right to insist that employers can be allies to their staff members who face violence at home.
Requiring stores to educate employees about the laws that protect domestic violence victims is a great first step, but employers should also develop workplace policies with guidance for supervisors on how to work with an employee facing violence at home.
In 2008 New York State incorporated domestic violence and the workplace policies in all state agencies. The move was supported by the state workers’ unions because they understood that partner violence could jeopardize employment, and by the state agencies because no one wants to invest in a skilled employee only to lose her because of violence at home.
For companies, supporting employees who are suffering from violence at home is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also good business.
AMY BARASCH
New York
The writer, a lawyer and executive director of Her Justice, a nonprofit that provides free legal services to low-income women, is a former executive director of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence.
Original Article Via New York Times - The Opinion Pages | December 2, 2015