October - Domestic Violence Awareness Month

17 years old - My first “dance” with domestic violence where my then boyfriend gave me a whopper of a black eye along with a cut to my nose, where I still have my scar today.

19 years old – My good friend, Melanie Rieger, also 19 years old was strangled by her boyfriend, stuffed into a sports utility bag and then placed in a storage unit.?

Why am I posting these very personal experiences on LinkedIn and what does this have to do with business?

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month.? So, my goal of sharing this level of detail overall is to boost awareness but below are a couple of key items I wanted to highlight.?

1.??Remind folks of how to get help.? If you or someone you know is experiencing DV, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE).

2.? Help remove the stigma.? DV is typically a very “secretive” topic. ?Folks are afraid to disclose, others don’t know how to help. ?I’m hoping to make it more acceptable to chat about so people are aware. Maybe this will help people feel more comfortable in seeking help. Maybe this will help folks be more aware of how to help.

3.??Own or lead a business in the US?? It’s estimated that intimate partner violence results in 8,000,000 lost workdays per year.? This does not include the productivity impact of someone who is distracted by the thoughts of “what’s next”.? So, understanding how your bottom line is impacted is nice, but what’s more important is how you can help ensure your business is structured to support those impacted by DV.

4.??Are you a manager or leader?? Make sure you are aware of the signs of domestic violence.? It may or may not appear in the workplace, but if it does – you want to ensure you can properly and safely support your employees; this includes the person experiencing the DV and other employees.? ?

5.??Are you in HR?? Do you currently feel comfortable with how to navigate DV situations?? If not – make sure you speak to your manager to increase your own knowledge of how to manage.?

6.??Donate.? Time and/or money.? Donating your time will typically require you to become certified.? If you are not able to donate time, local and national support groups are always looking for financial donations to help provide services to those in need.

7.? Lastly….. If you thought you never knew someone who experienced DV, now you know differently.? And based on the statistics, I’m guessing that I’m just one of several people you know who have experienced DV.

Thanks for taking a moment to be more aware and support those around you.