Problems from domestic violence hurting workplace: victims suffer most but so do co-workers.

"It's not my business."

"I'll pretend I don't notice; she would be embarrassed."

"What happens at home stays at home."

Not any more. The business community has come to realize that domestic violence is more than a private family problem. Studies show that when it comes to being abused, what happens at home doesn't stay there; it comes to work with the victim.

Roxanne:, a young mother, recalls: "He would take my keys so I couldn't drive to my job. So they would fire me."

The American Institute on Domestic Violence reports that lost productivity and earnings due to intimate partner violence accounts for almost $1.8 billion each year. Furthermore:

* Intimate-partner-violence victims lose nearly 8 million days of paid work each year--the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs and nearly 5.6 million days of household productivity

* 96% experience problems at work due to abuse

* 74% are harassed while at work by their abuser

* 56% are late to work

* 28% leave work early

* 54% miss entire days of work

Yet the high cost of domestic violence to businesses is not because of absenteeism alone. "Working through the pain" simply means getting through the day despite headaches, physical injuries, depression, and chronic anxiety; hardly the state of mind of a productive employee. Phone calls from the abuser add to the stress.

Roxanne: "A good day was when he only called ten times; usually it was much more than that. I couldn't work. (The receptionist) paged me away from customers (when he called)."

Picking up the slack 

Loss of productivity is not limited to the victim's work performance. Her fellow employees often take up the slack of work she is not performing. "While they may be initially willing to pitch in to help a victim who cannot function normally or even show up to work, over time that willingness changes to resentment," says Ann Solis, a former HR director for a multi-national marketing company. In addition, "Fellow employees themselves experience distraction at work, both due to fear for the abuse victim and for their own safety. Their productivity suffers too." Considering that 74% of domestic violence victims are harassed at work, it's a reasonable fear.

Roxanne "He would walk into my work and into my cubicle and in front of everyone t would leave with him to avoid a scene."

Solis says: "I've hired additional security once the threats increased in scope to include our offices."

In extreme cases, businesses will find they need to assume the expense of a crisis management team. Such teams, often composed of former police officers and fire fighters, counsel employees individually, but more often in groups, in the event of a serious injury or even the death of the abuser's target. (Many human resources departments already have such a team in place to counsel in the wake of an earthquake, fire, or massive accident affecting employees).

Common sense dictates security and counseling, but are they required by law? A responsible employee provides a safe workplace. A compassionate one can choose to provide crisis counseling.

But what does the law require? In California, the employer must provide the employee/ victim time away from work to seek medical attention, attend counseling sessions and/or court hearings related to the abuse. Time need-ed to relocate due to the domestic violence is also included in this provision. The Domestic Violence Employment Leave Act prohibits employers of 25 people or more from discharging, discriminating or retaliating against an employee who is a victim of domestic violence and who takes time off from work for domestic violence related services.

In Roxanne's case, the abuse was not physical, yet her boyfriend's behavior--dozens of phone calls a day, showing up at work. causing a scene in the street outside her office, and stealing her keys--cost her several jobs.

"My boss said he wouldn't waste his time talking to my boyfriend; my boss would just call the cops. The cops being called didn't help. I was fired for not showing up for work because I couldn't handle it any more. I would be four hours late for work because he would take my car keys."

Some companies, particularly large corporations, provide special training in counseling the victim for management and prevention programs for employees. However, recognizing that no one in the company is likely trained as a professional counselor, the wisest decision is often to provide the victim with the tools necessary to extricate herself from the situation. These include:

* Enrolling in an employment assistance program (EAP): When a business signs up with an EAP, each employee is given a log-on ID and phone number for the program. Through the EAP, the employee can access assistance for problems including, but not limited to, spousal abuse, financial difficulty, child care, alcohol and drug counseling, and legal issues. No one at the employee's place of business need know this counseling is taking place. The company's HR department can access a database that indicates only how many hits the web site is showing per month, but not who is using it.

* Referrals: Domestic abuse hotlines, both local and national.

* Guaranteeing employee privacy. A company policy--likely already in place--that home addresses and phone numbers are never given out.

Roxanne found help from an surprising source: a 411 operator. The day the abuse became physical, she called Directory Assistance.

The operator put her in touch with a 30-day residential emergency shelter. At the time she was interviewed for this article, Roxanne and her two pre-school children had been in residence for four days.

"I feel like a hundred pounds was lifted from me," she said.

By MARCIA STEIL

Contributing Reporter