Later today, I’ll have the honor of introducing Bruce Kraus, the City of Pittsburgh Council President as the recipient of the 2017 STANDING FIRM Champion award.

It was just a year ago that I received that honor for my work on behalf of STANDING FIRM, a non-profit organization that works with busineses to addresses the issue of partner violence and it’s impact in the workplace.

Twenty-five percent of all the violence in the workplace stems from a domestic or partner violence situation. These events not only impact the victim of the violence being perpetrated but also co-workers who are concerned about the victim as well as the danger that is in place when a perpetrator may show up on-site and create a danger for all employees.

In recent weeks, we’ve read about the power of the #metoo campaign and the courageous women who are standing up against sexual harassment. This all seems like a watershed moment, not only because the male accusers are recognizing they can’t get away with this anymore but because these intrepid women are also committed to #nomore.

There is much work to be done in protecting the safety and dignity of all people and in our little world of addressing partner violence in the workplace, we’ll be celebrating the wisdom of over 350 employers who have signed on with STANDING FIRM.

I would urge you, regardless of where you live, to check out STANDING FIRM to support our mission and to help create a safe and dignified workplace.

Prevention is the best resilience.

© Richard Citrin, All rights reserved, 2017

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