Employee Assistance Programs and efforts to address intimate partner violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem that significantly impacts the workplace. Currently, there is limited information on the scope of services and programs that Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) offer to address IPV. A comprehensive survey was used to collect information from 28 external U.S. EAP providers. Key staff from EAPs completed telephone interviews with research staff. Results indicate substantial variability across EAPs in how IPV issues are assessed. Most EAPs have limited screening and do not utilize a specific code for IPV and therefore cannot adequately report on IPV prevalence or service utilization. EAP services commonly available to the workplace include manager trainings on general workplace violence, assistance in developing workplace violence policies, and management consultation. Services commonly available to IPV victims include crisis counseling and safety plan development, referrals to affiliates for counseling, and referrals to community resources. Services for IPV perpetrators were fairly limited and primarily involved referral to batterer interventions, when available. Most EAPs offer some customized services for IPV, primarily for work-based prevention activities, but this service is rarely requested by companies. Commonly cited challenges associated with IPV service delivery include low awareness of IPV among employers, confidentiality issues, lack of specific policies for addressing IPV, and fear of reporting IPV among employees experiencing this issue. Standardized assessments, coding, and reporting of IPV service utilization are needed. Findings from this study provide insights into current EAP efforts to address IPV and recommendations are put forth for continued improvement in addressing this critical issue.