Domestic Violence at Work: Type 4 Workplace Violence Guide

Most workplace violence planning focuses on robbers, angry customers or a troubled coworker. Type 4 is different. The person who poses the threat usually has no tie to the business. Instead, they have a personal relationship with one of your employees, often a current or former partner, and the abuse follows that employee to the lobby, the phone line or the parking lot.

This guide covers what Type 4 violence is, what the data show, a respectful response plan, and the Arizona orders and leave laws that support it. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Where this guidance comes from. This article draws on BLS, NIOSH, CDC, the FBI, BJS, the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center and current Arizona statutes. It also reflects our team’s field experience staffing security posts and running investigations for Arizona employers.

What is Type 4 workplace violence?

The four-type model comes from the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center report Workplace Violence: A Report to the Nation (2001). In Type IV, “The perpetrator usually does not have a relationship with the business but has a personal relationship with the intended victim.”

The FBI uses the same model. Its Type 4 is violence “by someone who doesn’t work there, but has a personal relationship with an employee,” such as an abusive spouse or domestic partner.

The Iowa report calls it “the spillover of domestic violence into the workplace” and notes that it “Targets women significantly more often than men.” Spillover can be one frightening visit or weeks of calls and someone waiting in a car across the lot. For an overview of all four types, see our workplace violence prevention and response services.

Why domestic violence becomes an employer’s problem

The FBI states it plainly: “Domestic violence and stalking that come through the workplace door appropriately become the employer’s concern too.”

A person leaving an abusive partner may change addresses, numbers and routines. The job is often the one place the abuser still knows where to find them, at set hours. Coworkers, customers and the front desk can end up in the path.

The harm shows up in attendance too. The Iowa report notes Type IV violence can cause “high absenteeism and low productivity” or the “sudden, prolonged absence of an employee fleeing abuse.” CDC puts the lifetime economic cost of intimate partner violence, including lost productivity from paid work, at $5.6 trillion.

Handle these threats inside your workplace violence prevention program, using the same reporting channels and threat assessment process.

What the numbers show

• Women killed at work (2016). Of 91 women killed on the job, a relative or domestic partner was the assailant in 40%. Among 409 men, it was 2%. This is the latest BLS breakdown of women’s workplace homicides by assailant.
• Women’s share of homicides (2024). Women were 8.1% of all worker fatalities (413) but 15.3% of workplace homicide victims (72), per the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.
• Intimate partners (2003–2008). A NIOSH study found intimate partners committed 22% of workplace homicides of U.S. women (142 of 648). “Over half of the homicides committed by intimate partners occurred in parking lots and public buildings.”
• Nonfatal incidents (2015–2019). BJS found intimate partners committed 2% of nonfatal workplace violence and other relatives 1%. Strangers committed 39% of incidents against women, compared with 55% against men.
• Lifetime prevalence. CDC reports that more than 1 in 3 women (nearly 43.5 million) and more than 1 in 6 men (20.7 million) have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

The parking lot finding matters: arrival and departure are when an employee is outside, alone and predictable.

Warning signs at work

The FBI lists signs that an employee may be experiencing domestic violence, including “Disruptive visits from current or former intimate partner,” “Unexplained bruises or injuries” and “Sudden changes of address or reluctance to divulge where she is staying.”

Coworkers may also notice repeated calls or messages to the employee or the main line, someone asking when the employee leaves, or the same person or vehicle waiting in the lot.

Treat these as reasons for a private, caring check-in, not proof. Say what you noticed, say you are concerned, and explain what help is available. Let the employee decide what to share, and never blame them for the abuser’s behavior.

How an employee can ask for help

If a partner or ex-partner is threatening or following you, telling your employer can make work safer. You choose how much to share. Start with someone you trust, such as your manager, HR or the security lead, and ask that only people who need to know be told.

These items help the company act quickly:

• A copy of any order of protection or injunction
• A recent photo of the person
• A description of their vehicle and the plate number, if known
• Saved threatening texts, voicemails or emails, with dates
• Times or places the person is likely to appear

If you are in danger, call 911. You can also contact a local domestic violence program for confidential safety planning, advocacy and shelter options.

An employer response plan

When an employee discloses abuse, or an abuser shows up, the first steps follow an order:

1. Meet privately, listen and thank the employee for telling you.
2. Agree on who needs to know.
3. Build a written safety plan with the employee.
4. Brief the people who will carry it out.
5. Review the plan regularly and after any incident.

Confidentiality

Share the minimum with the fewest people. Reception needs a photo and a name, not the history. Keep notes and court orders in a secure file. If the employee uses crime victim leave, A.R.S. 13-4439 requires those records to stay confidential.

Safety planning with the employee

Plan with the employee, not around them. They know the abuser’s patterns and likely times. Write down each measure and who owns it.

Reception briefing

Give the front desk a photo, a vehicle description and a short script. They should not confirm whether the employee is on site, should keep the person in the lobby, and should know whom to call. If a protective order is in place and the person appears, call 911.

Parking lot, schedule and calls

• Escorts to and from the car, and a reserved space near the entrance in good lighting
• Varied arrival and departure times, a different entrance, shift or site, or remote work if the job allows
• Calls screened before they reach the employee, and a new extension if the abuser has the old one
• The employee’s name, photo and schedule removed from the website, lobby directories and public calendars

Security officers and police

A visible, trained security officer at the entrance or in the lot at shift change can deter a visit. Officers should have the photo, vehicle description and a copy of any order, and their job is to observe, report and call police, not confront. With the employee’s agreement, contact local police, and keep an incident log of dates, times and witnesses to support reports and court petitions.

Arizona legal tools for Type 4 workplace violence

Order of protection (A.R.S. 13-3602)

The person with a domestic relationship to the abuser files the petition. A third party may file only if that person is unable to. The judge looks for reasonable cause to believe the defendant committed domestic violence within the past year, or longer for good cause.

The order can bar contact and keep the defendant from “coming near the residence, place of employment or school.” It may restrict firearms when the defendant is a credible threat. It expires two years after service, and a violation is the crime of interfering with judicial proceedings.

Employer injunction against workplace harassment (A.R.S. 12-1810)

An employer or its authorized agent files a verified petition with a magistrate, justice of the peace or superior court judge. Key points:

• “Harassment” includes “a single threat or act of physical harm or damage,” so no pattern is required.
• It can keep the defendant away from the employer’s property and protects anyone on the property or performing official work duties.
• Each injunction covers one defendant, and it expires one year after service.
• If the employer knows who is targeted, it must make a good faith effort to notify that person first.
• Under 12-1810(R), an employer is immune from civil liability for seeking or not seeking the injunction, unless it seeks one mainly for a purpose it was not designed for.

Tool	Who files or uses it	What it does	Arizona law
Order of protection	The person in the domestic relationship	Bars contact and keeps the abuser from home, work or school; lasts two years after service	A.R.S. 13-3602
Workplace harassment injunction	The employer	Keeps the defendant off the property and protects anyone there; one act can qualify; lasts one year	A.R.S. 12-1810
Stalking charge	Police and prosecutors	Makes following or tracking that causes fear a felony	A.R.S. 13-2923
Earned paid sick time	The employee	Paid time for medical, counseling, relocation and legal needs tied to abuse	A.R.S. 23-373
Crime victim leave	The employee (50+ employee employers)	Time off for court and to seek an order; no dismissal for using it	A.R.S. 13-4439

This is general information, not legal advice. Talk to an Arizona attorney about your specific situation.

Leave and job protections

Earned paid sick time (A.R.S. 23-373). Employees may use it for an “absence necessary due to domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse or stalking,” including medical care, victim services, counseling, relocating or securing a home, and “participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding.” Under A.R.S. 23-372, employees earn one hour per 30 hours worked, capped at 24 hours a year at employers with fewer than 15 employees and 40 hours at larger ones, unless the employer allows more.

Crime victim leave (A.R.S. 13-4439). Employers with 50 or more employees must let a crime victim leave work for specified criminal proceedings and to “Obtain or attempt to obtain an order of protection, an injunction against harassment or any other injunctive relief.” The leave may be unpaid, and the employer may limit leave that causes undue hardship. “An employer may not dismiss an employee who is a victim of a crime because the employee exercises the right to leave work.”

What employers should not do

• Do not fire or discipline the employee for being targeted. It punishes the victim and teaches others to stay silent.
• Do not confront the abuser yourself. Keep distance, keep the employee inside and call police.
• Do not share the story. Gossip can reach the abuser.
• Do not make help depend on a court order. Some employees are not ready to file. Offer workplace measures anyway.
• Do not assume an order ends the threat. Keep the plan in place.

The stalking connection

Many Type 4 cases are stalking cases. Arizona’s stalking law, A.R.S. 13-2923, covers a course of conduct that includes maintaining “visual or physical proximity to a specific person” and GPS or electronic surveillance. It is a class 5 felony, or a class 3 felony when it causes reasonable fear of death. Waiting in the lot at shift change or tracking a car can fit that pattern, so document dates, times and messages. See our stalking threat assessment and response guide.

Related: the four types of workplace violence. Read about Type 3 coworker violence and the Arizona laws that apply to threats at work.

Frequently asked questions

Is domestic violence a workplace issue?

Yes, when it reaches the job. The FBI says domestic violence and stalking that come through the workplace door become the employer’s concern too. An abuser who shows up at work can endanger the targeted employee, coworkers and customers.

Can my employer get a restraining order for me in Arizona?

Usually not an order of protection. Under A.R.S. 13-3602 the person in the domestic relationship files, and a third party may file only if that person is unable to. An employer can file its own injunction against workplace harassment under A.R.S. 12-1810, which can keep the abuser off its property and protects anyone there. If the employer knows who is targeted, it must make a good faith effort to tell that person before filing.

Does an Arizona order of protection cover my workplace?

It can. A.R.S. 13-3602 lets the judge order the defendant to stay away from your residence, place of employment or school. Ask that your workplace be listed, and give your employer a copy if you want help enforcing it. The order expires two years after service.

Can I take paid sick time for domestic violence in Arizona?

Yes. A.R.S. 23-373 allows earned paid sick time for absences needed because of domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse or stalking, including medical care, counseling, victim services, relocation and legal proceedings.

Can I be fired for being a domestic violence victim in Arizona?

Under A.R.S. 13-4439, an employer with 50 or more employees may not dismiss a crime victim for using the right to leave work for covered court proceedings or to seek an order of protection or injunction. Other protections may apply. This is general information, not legal advice, so talk to an Arizona attorney about your situation.

What should a receptionist do if the abuser shows up?

Stay calm, keep the person in the lobby and do not argue. Alert security or the designated manager, keep the targeted employee away from the front, and call 911 if there is a threat or a protective order is being violated. Note the time, what was said and a description of the person and vehicle.

How Honeybadger Solutions helps

Honeybadger Solutions is a veteran-owned security and investigations firm in Casa Grande, serving the Phoenix metro, Pinal County and the Tucson area. When an abuser threatens to bring danger to work, we help employers protect the employee and the team:

• Behavioral threat assessment to gauge the threat and fit the response
• Armed and unarmed security officers for the lobby, lot and shift-change escorts
• Security assessments of entrances, reception, lighting and parking
• Private investigations and surveillance that document stalking in a court-ready way
• Training for managers and reception staff on warning signs and unwanted visitors

Submit a confidential service request online or book a consultation. For something that cannot wait for business hours, use the urgent intake form. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911 first.

Why the online intake is faster than a phone call: it takes about two minutes, and your answers are routed straight to the specialist team that handles your kind of matter, whether that is cyber and forensics, investigations or field security. That team sees the full picture before it replies, so you skip phone tag and get a real answer and next steps sooner. If it cannot wait for business hours, use the urgent intake form, which is read seven days a week.

Related reading

• ▸ The Modern Detective: A Guide to Private Investigations in Arizona
• ▸ The Truth About Background Checks: Why “Instant” Searches Fail
• ▸ Navigating Family Law: How Private Investigators Prove Infidelity and Custody Issues
• ▸ Missing Persons & Skip Tracing: Finding Those Who Don’t Want to Be Found