Today, along with 350 civic and business leaders in Pittsburgh I will be attending a luncheon for STANDING FIRM, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to alert employees to the financial, safety and human cost of partner violence and how it impacts the workplace.

Standing Firm promotes the business case that employers play a crucial role in protecting their employees and the workplace from violence that impacts both productivity and security.

I am being honored this day for my volunteer efforts with STANDING FIRM as their Champion for 2016 along with the Pittsburgh Pirates who have been named the Employer of the Year for their efforts to address this issue with their players and staff.

The issue of partner and domestic violence is like a cancer in our society. Despite our best efforts to stop it, we continue to see headlines about how rampant this disease in our culture persists.

By bringing the resources of community organizations and business together, STANDING FIRM is providing tools to help employers understand, take action and benefit both their team members and their bottom line.

I hope you’ll take a moment to check the STANDING FIRM website and to ask your employer or HR department to find out what they can do to create a safer and more productive worksite for all.

© Richard Citrin, All rights reserved, 2016