Evaluation Report Harman International Domestic Violence Prevention Project

• NCJ Number: 208188
• Author(s): Beverly Younger Urban Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 30 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Family Violence Prevention Fund
• Sale Source: Family Violence Prevention Fund
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded December 22, 2004.

Annotation

This report presents the methodology and findings of an evaluation of Harman International's efforts to prevent and respond to domestic violence experienced by its employees.

Abstract

In partnership with the Family Violence Prevention Fund in San Francisco, CA, Harman International developed and implemented a domestic-violence policy with guidelines for human resource departments and managers. Regional planning committees were created to assess the needs of all of the company's U.S. facilities and to implement the policy and training. Teams of internal and external co-trainers were created through regional training programs prior to employee training. This was followed by the delivery of training programs on domestic violence and the related company policy to employees and managers at all U.S. facilities. Resource information, safety cards, and posters were distributed throughout the work facilities. Each facility was encouraged to develop additional activities. Among these additional activities were volunteer projects in support of local domestic violence agencies. The evaluation involved the completion of employee feedback forms following the training, pretraining, and posttraining survey of employees to measures changes in knowledge and attitudes following training. Managers responded to a set of questions related to management actions in support of the company's domestic violence project. In addition, employees reported on the incidence of physical and nonphysical abuse. This survey found that over one-third of all employees and almost half of female employees surveyed had coped with either physical or nonphysical abuse in their lifetimes. The statistical comparisons of the matched survey responses of employees and managers showed consistently positive effects from the training program, as employees developed more supportive attitudes toward domestic-violence victims, demonstrated knowledge about the nature of and responses to domestic violence, and committed themselves to workplace helping responses. There were no differences between pretraining and posttraining reports of domestic abuse by employees. 10 tables and appended evaluation instruments and findings