IWL SHINES on Research to Support Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in Their Workplaces
An interview with graduate student Vlada Snyder, Marquette University
Name: Vlada Snyder
Department: Management Department at the Graduate School of Management in the College of Business Administration
Length of time at Marquette: Three years as an undergraduate student at the College of Health Sciences, currently finishing my second semester of the MBA program (will be graduating in May)
Question: What is your research about?
I am working on a project through the Institute for Women’s Leadership at Marquette University in conjunction with the Sojourner Family Peace Center and the Milwaukee County Court System on domestic violence and its effects on the workplace.
In 2020, the Marquette University President’s Challenge for COVID-19 Response granted awards for interdisciplinary researchers to study issues and needs in the Milwaukee community that have been created or magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our project focuses on how the Safer-at-Home policies meant to protect the health and well-being of the public have also negatively affected domestic violence survivors. The COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected many individuals, but the Safer-at-Home orders exacerbated the incidents of domestic violence and its effects on victims. At the height of the pandemic, many individuals quarantined at home and had to work from home, often with their domestic abusers, while others faced unemployment. This meant that domestic violence survivors no longer had a “safe haven” — their workplace — to escape their abusers, so they were forced to stay behind closed doors with their abusive intimate partners. These survivors no longer had access to domestic violence shelters and resources, had more difficulty requesting restraining orders and other follow-up services from the court system, faced greater economic instability, and had to otherwise cope with the negative effects on their mental health and wellbeing.
While there are fantastic resources from domestic violence hotlines and women’s shelters, such as the Sojourner Family Peace Center, a great source of supports and protections can be provided by organizations where the victims are employed.
My role in this project has been to create a report to distribute to organizations within the Milwaukee community and surrounding areas about what organizations can do for their victimized employees because domestic violence has profound negative effects on organizational safety, productivity, and the performance of employees. Moreover, both individuals and organizations incur additional healthcare and economic costs as results of this violence. The report dives deep into organizations’ legal obligations to address domestic violence in workplaces and how organizations can support their victimized employees. Organizations can provide different supports in the form of workplace policies to prevent domestic violence by educating their employees on the subject, enacting policies to protect employees in their workplaces, and implementing intervention tactics to assist victims in working through the physical and psychological effects of domestic violence.
The goal of the report is to provide organizations information on the endemic that is domestic violence and inform them of their ability to help change the narrative. Organizations that adopt domestic violence policies and supports for their victimized employees will see a multitude of benefits that directly translate into the success of their employees as well as their organization.
Question: How did you decide to focus on this research interest? What led you to it?
When I first started the MBA program at Marquette, I thought that it would a great learning experience to be a Graduate Assistant (GA) for the Management Department and become better acclimated with business and management terminology and concepts. My first assignment as a GA was working under Dr. Webster to conduct literature searches on domestic violence supports in the workplace, compiling a list of sources and writing summaries on the most relevant articles. Dr. Webster then asked me to use my background knowledge from my literature reviews to work as a Research Assistant at the Institute for Women’s Leadership (IWL) this past summer. It was a wonderful opportunity and was also my first exposure to academic writing. The process of writing the report allowed me to carefully plan out the structure of the report, think about what kind of information organizations would find valuable and useful, and then source relevant background information. I look forward to continuing our work on the domestic violence project this semester and beyond, and potentially even contributing to other important initiatives spearheaded by the IWL.
Question: What have you learned about yourself and/or your field through the course of your research?
As an undergraduate student at Marquette, I conducted research in organic chemistry, a vastly different field that uses its own research methods and writing styles. Shifting to research on the ethical side of business and on the social sciences has been challenging in that it’s a new way of thinking and writing, but it has also been invigorating. Research is my passion because there is always more to explore and new angles to use when looking at a problem. I have learned that research is not just about understanding a subject thoroughly; it’s also about finding ways to use information to make a positive contribution to a particular field. I continue to learn every day.
Question: What do you hope others learn from your research?
With our domestic violence project, we are informing organizations of ways they can apply our research into their organizations and implement domestic violence policies and supports to create even better workplace environments. Our work will inform and hopefully inspire organizations to commit to positive change. We know that formal and informal workplace support and protections are among the greatest sources for domestic violence victims because they can gain financial autonomy and reap the psychological benefits of their employers and coworkers believing in them and supporting them. Organizations dedicated to the health and wellbeing of their employees will also see greater success as a company. I hope that we can secure important policies and protections in support of domestic violence victims within all workplaces.
Question: How do you see your research connecting to other bodies of scholarship and/or other academic fields?
This project allows me to better understand the breadth of influence businesses and organizations have on their employees, on communities, and on the world. My research on the effects of domestic violence in the workplace has taught me that organizations not only have economic obligations to stakeholders and consumers, but they also have social and even environmental responsibilities. Our research has illuminated an important idea in that business organizations can and should be involved in many initiatives and change-making endeavors. Whether it is an initiative to create more inclusive workplaces, provide workplace supports for employees suffering from a variety of challenges, pursue ethical sourcing of raw materials, or to minimize an organization’s carbon footprint in their logistics processes, businesses can be the leaders in changing the world for the better.
Working with Dr. Webster and Professor Schneider on the domestic violence project has inspired me to pursue research in sustainability in business — specifically how organizations can build and maintain sustainable and resilient supply chains. Many academic fields overlap, and knowledge gained in one field can be incredibly beneficial toward understanding another field. I hope to continue to find inspiration from many different sources and pursue research about how to build ethically and environmentally sustainable businesses.
Question: What do you hope is the value for your research beyond academic scholarship?
Our domestic violence project will not only inform organizations about the effects of domestic violence on workplaces and the importance of addressing them but will also inform individuals about the unintended consequences of the Safer-at-Home orders on domestic violence survivors.
While the COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented health crisis that was difficult to predict and even more difficult to properly navigate and mitigate, this crisis also taught us to be cognizant of unintentional effects of decisions made in the best interest of the public.
The pandemic very clearly demonstrated blind spots where workplace policies and supports were lacking and provided organizations the opportunity to understand what changes were needed. Going forward, organizations can implement new policies or change existing policies that will better serve their victimized employees.
Question: What tip or tips would you like to share with others about research generally, or research in your field?
Read as much as you possibly can! I love reading papers and journal articles in a variety of different fields and subjects because you never know where you might find inspiration. Whether it’s the International Journal of Management, National Geographic, Chemical & Engineering News, or the Harvard Business Review, I am always learning about new and incredible discoveries. We are all connected simply through the pursuit of knowledge, so we need to keep learning and reading about what others are doing so that we can all contribute something to the world of academia and beyond.
Psst! Know someone doing great things? Maybe it’s you!
To recommend yourself or someone you know to be profiled in this series, please send an email with the person’s/people’s name to IWL SHINES at iwlshines@marquette.edu. Please provide a very brief description about the research involved or why you think it should be highlighted. After consideration, IWL will contact you/your nominee to start the interview process, which will entail the person/team responding in writing briefly to different interview questions from a menu of choices.
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