Domestic abuse – how can employers offer support?

An estimated 1.6 million women and 786,000 men experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales in the year ending March 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics.

At the beginning of lockdown there were fears in the UK that the stay-at-home coronavirus guidelines may leave domestic abuse victims feeling especially isolated, vulnerable and exposed. Lockdown is a perpetrator’s paradise.

By the end of May, the charity Refuge, which runs the National Domestic Abuse helpline, had experienced a weekly average 66% increase in calls for help since the start of lockdown in mid-March. By early April, more than 25 organisations helping domestic violence victims had reported an increase in their caseload since the start of the pandemic. Clearly, the most vulnerable need to be safeguarded and supported now more than ever. This is especially true given the more localised periods of lockdown many are now experiencing across different parts of the country.

Recognising the risk, the government launched a new public awareness campaign, called #YouAreNotAlone, highlighting that if anyone is at danger of, or experiencing, domestic abuse, they are still able to leave and seek refuge.

However, employers also play an important role in supporting victims of domestic abuse. The help is especially vital right now when visibility within the employment setting may be undermined because of the shift to remote working during the pandemic. Employers should prioritise staying in contact with staff and ensure activities that support colleague relationships beyond engagement on particular projects continue, for example, manager one-to-ones.

Other actions employers can take are outlined in a Domestic Abuse Toolkit, put together by Business in the Community (BITC) and Public Health England. These include:

1. Acknowledge: Use the toolkit to help understand the issues and acknowledge it is every employer’s responsibility to support victims of domestic abuse.

2. Respond: If a manager suspects that an employee is experiencing domestic abuse, they should facilitate a conversation to discuss the issue on a general level and identify and implement appropriate support. Some examples of questions and prompts that could be used to open a conversation are:

• how are you doing at the moment?
• your wellbeing is important to me and I’ve noticed that you seem distracted/upset at the moment – are you ok?
• is everything all right at home?
• you don’t have to tell me anything, but please know that I would like to support you if and when you feel ready
• what support do you think might help? What would you like to happen? How?

3. Refer: Inform all your employees that help is available and remind them that police response and support services remain available. Signpost employees to organisations that can help employees affected by the issue. A full list of supportive organisations can be accessed at BITC’s COVID-19: Domestic Abuse Toolkit for Employers.

The author is Louise Aston wellbeing director at Business in the Community.

This article is featured in REBA’s Employee Wellbeing research 2020, in partnership with AXA PPP healthcare.