Domestic Abuse and the role of the workplace
An estimated 1.9 million adults aged 16 to 59 experience domestic abuse each year. Domestic abuse comes in many forms such as physical, psychological, sexual, emotional, verbal and economical and is estimated to cost UK businesses around £1.9 billion a year due to decreased productivity, time off work, lost wages and sick pay.
Often the workplace is the only safe place for victims of domestic abuse to escape to, however, it is often overlooked by employers as they lack the skills and confidence to start the conversation for fear of what may be said. Dealing with domestic abuse should form part of an employers duty of care and is just as important as dealing with an employees mental or physical wellbeing. One in six working age adults suffer from poor mental health and six in ten workers state that poor mental health affects their concentration whilst at work. There is also a clear association between domestic abuse and mental illness and according to a report by Refuge those trapped by domestic abuse can feel so hopeless that they believe that suicide is the only way.
In a recent report by Vodafone it was revealed that although many organisations want to support employees suffering domestic abuse only 5% actually have a supportive policy in place. Knowing how to support and protect employees who suffer domestic abuse and having the skills and confidence to start a conversation around the issue is key to tackling what is often seen as a taboo subject.
The 25th November to 10th December sees the ‘16 Days of Action Against Domestic Violence’ campaign which aims to support businesses take action against domestic abuse and violence.
Work Well Hub is working with Public Health England (PHE) to raise awareness of the campaign across the South West of England and together they are encouraging employers to ‘take action’ in addressing domestic violence. To support the campaign PHE and Business in the community have produced a ‘Domestic Abuse: a toolkit for employers’. The toolkit provides practical advice on how to respond to the risk of domestic abuse and build an approach that ensures all employees feel supported and empowered by their workplace to deal with domestic abuse.
The Domestic abuse: a toolkit for employers document details three key actions employers can take to help victims:
- Acknowledge – employers should understand the issues and acknowledge their responsibility to help address domestic abuse. They should enable staff to openly discuss the topic and provide support;
- Respond – they should review policies and processes so they are able to respond to a domestic abuse claim supportively; and,
- Refer – they should provide access to organisations that can help affected employees.
To find out more about the campaign and to download the toolkit please visit www.workwellhub.com/blog