Prevent Family Violence

726 Words3 Pages
Child care is expensive for families in the United States. Costs for full-time care can easily reach $10,000 or more a year per child. (Seccombe, 2011) Given that most families have more than one child, often only a few years apart, childcare bills can easily amount to $20,000 plus per year. (Seccombe, 2011) The leading stress in families is finances and budgeting. Stress can and often leads to violence. Do employers have a responsibility to help prevent family violence? Would they benefit directly or indirectly if they were proactively involved in reducing family violence? And if some best places to work offer on-site daycare, why don't more companies offer free child care for their employees? In a 2007 survey of over 500 employees working at Fortune 1,500 companies, 26 percent of the women and 8 percent of the men identified themselves as victims of domestic violence. (Hobday, 2010) Coworkers also suffer consequences, including increased stress and distraction because of their perception of the abuse and an increased workload due to the victims’ decreased productivity. (Hobday, 2010) Added finances put stress on a family. Especially when due to the costs of childcare a parent may have to cut back on work to stay at home with the children. The added stress can lead to violence within the family. It can also lead into the workplace. So is there a way that employers can prevent family violence? Child care issues are cited by employers as causing more problems than any other family related issue in the workplace, with increases in absenteeism and tardiness. (EMPLOYER-SUPPORTED CHILD CARE) A 1992 survey found that nearly 30 percent of workers knew employees who quit their jobs because of inadequate child care. (EMPLOYER-SUPPORTED CHILD CARE) According to Fortune magazine, some best places to work offer on-site daycare. So if this can help people keep their jobs, it
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