October 24, 2023 — Did you know that 1 in 3 women, 1 in 4 men and 54% of transgender individuals in the United States report having experienced violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime? On a typical day, domestic violence hotlines across the nation receive more than 19,000 calls, or 13 calls every minute.
PEF members at the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV), the only executive-level state agency, are doing something about it.
“New York State recognizes that domestic and gender-based violence is a pervasive issue,” said Rosemary Pelletier, who has been with OPDV since 2020 and is now the Gender-Based Violence and the Workplace Coordinator. “Domestic violence and its pervasiveness don’t just stop when someone leaves their home; it can impact them in their workplace, too.”
While OPDV doesn’t provide direct services, the agency addresses domestic violence in other ways, including advising the governor and legislature on policies and best practices and training people to serve as advocates and support.
“Survivors around New York state can make direct contact with OPDV as well as get referred through the Governor’s office and through external professionals serving survivors,” Pelletier said. “NYS employees are also frequently referred through EAP to receive information, support and referrals to gender-based violence services within their local communities.”
Executive Order 17, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2022, required every covered state agency to create and implement their own gender-based violence and the workplace policy, as well as appoint at least one Domestic Violence Agency Liaison (DVAL).
“We oversee this effort,” Pelletier said. “We released a model policy last year that those covered agencies were either able to adopt in full or use as a guide to create their own. Right now, out of 71 state agencies, we have more than 280 DVALs throughout the state, with some larger agencies, like DOCCS, having dozens of them. DVALs are trained by us at OPDV on how to recognize domestic and gender-based violence, how to respond to a survivor-employee who discloses, and how to refer them to applicable local domestic and gender-based violence providers and resources.”
Domestic violence can intersect with the workplace in a variety of ways.
Maybe an ex-partner or current partner is excessively texting, making it so an employee can’t do their jobs or maybe they are using the employee’s state cell phone and sending intimate images without their knowledge or consent. It’s also not uncommon for the abusive party to be another state employee, maybe even in the same building.
“Images could go to supervisors and colleagues,” King said. “An abusive partner may have access to state-issued resources such as a cell phone or laptop and may threaten to damage them, withhold them, or try to gain access to confidential work information; technology-assisted abuse is a common tactic used by abusive partners. We all depend on access to it for our work and personal lives. For state employees, misuse of state-issued technology is an effective means to try and manipulate a survivor and/or damage their professional reputation and job security.”
Facing the myriad ways an abuser can impact their work life, an employee is likely to feel anxious, depressed, unfocused, and struggle to get their work done. Pelletier said survivors of domestic and gender-based violence have certain rights as a protected class in New York state, including workplace accommodations.
“Sometimes victims are stalked or maybe they are not feeling safe working their scheduled 9 to 5 because their abusive partner knows their work schedule and routine,” said Pelletier. “A DVAL could help the employee explore a potential workplace accommodation such as adjusting their schedule to be 8:30 to 4:30. DVALs can work with HR without disclosing intimate details of a survivor-employee’s situation. A lot of survivors don’t want to come forward in the workplace because they are afraid of the stigma.
“When we created the model policy for agencies to utilize when creating their own gender-based violence and the workplace policies, we tried to take a holistic approach to provide options to keep survivors safe physically and emotionally at the workplace,” she said. “All of the work we do at OPDV is grounded in our Three Pillars: Survivor-Centered, which focuses on the needs and priorities of survivors; Trauma-Informed, understanding the physical, social and emotional impact of trauma on a survivor; and Culturally Responsive, acknowledging that a survivors’ racial and cultural identities play a role in how they experience domestic violence.”
Pelletier and King hope fellow PEF members in need will take advantage of these services and seek out the DVAL in their agencies to help guide them. DVALs can help with workplace safety planning; confidential support services; workplace accommodations; and referrals to applicable resources.
You can reach out to your supervisor, HR department or by email at workplace@opdv.ny.gov to find out who your DVAL is. There should also be posters in restrooms, break areas, kitchens, and other workplace areas.