Domestic Abuse – the Employer’s Challenge and their Opportunity!

by | Dec 20, 2023 | HR Blog

The Christmas period often marks a rise in reports of domestic violence. It is imperative that we can all recognise the common signs within the workplace such as sickness absence, performance issues, lateness, appearing withdrawn or agitated. These can also have an impact on the wider team.

Combining the figures for men and women – approximately 1 in 5 people are victims of domestic abuse at some point in their lives. 

That means that for every 100 staff members: 

  • There could be up to 20 who are victims of domestic abuse at some point 
  • Businesses could lose up to 80 days a year– the majority of absence will be violence, restraint and threats
  • 11 of the 20 will be late 5 times a month 
  • 16 will get calls at work which will be distressing
  • The abuser will turn up at work for 9 of these 
  • 9 of these will have the abuser stalking them outside work 
  • 17 of these will have their performance impacted on – distracted, unwell, tired 
  • Colleagues of these 20 – a few may be threatened and for most there will be conflicts and tension 
  • 10 will need time off but won’t be open about why 

A study undertaken pre-covid showed that 80% of HR Professionals thought that employers had a duty of care towards victims of domestic abuse however less than 5% had a policy in place. We pulled the available resources together and produced a Policy and Manager’s Guide that has been shared with our clients, forums etc.

We also developed the ‘3Rs’ as follows:

  • Recognise – that there is an issue
  • Respond – have the conversation
  • Refer – to those who can help

We have found that the biggest barrier to having the conversation in the workplace is managers being worried about how to do so and then having a responsibility to do something about it. It is critical to point out that Managers and HR are not the right people to resolve the situation we need to refer to those who have the skills and knowledge to do so e.g. Woman’s Aid, Mankind etc. as well as counselling and related support.

We know that having the ‘difficult conversation’ is a challenge for work related issues never mind something as sensitive as domestic abuse so we’ve also included support to undertake these conversations effectively in our managers guide. If you’d like a copy of it, please email us at support@mckinneyhr.co.uk
To find out more, check out our YouTube channel and watch the recording of our webinar ‘Domestic Abuse – the Employer’s Challenge and their Opportunity!. https://youtu.be/66kMCAROg7w