Often, the victim's place of employment is the only place a victim can be found after leaving the home. Two thirds of the time the employer or other employees are also injured if the violence spills into the workplace. This greatly effects productivity and after such an incident many employers now pick up the tab for counseling When domestic violence occurs, fear and anticipation of harm greatly affect a victim's ability to perform normal everyday tasks. Co-workers fear for their lives because they work with the victim. They realize that if an abusive spouse decides to harm the victim that they could be seriously injured or even killed.
Fear affects our ability to do our job but the victim's fear is horrifying.
Family, friends and co-workers who have never experienced abuse or domestic violence, do not always understand this fear. Because of this, many women never report threats or abuse. She is often more afraid to leave an abusive relationship than she is to stay. More and more often they are doing just that. Along with the fear of death the victim may fear the loss of her job as well as pressure from her employer or co-workers to leave the abuser.