Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Mental healthSickness absenceWellbeingOccupational Health

Toolkit seeks to help employers support domestic abuse victims

by Ashleigh Webber 12 Jul 2018
by Ashleigh Webber 12 Jul 2018

Business in the Community (BITC) and Public Health England have released a toolkit which they hope will equip employers with the skills to identify and help victims of domestic abuse.

Domestic abuse is estimated to cost employers around £1.9bn every year in decreased productivity, time off work, lost wages and sick pay, with an estimated 1.9 million people experiencing such abuse in the last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Yet, historically, it has been something employers have often shied away from getting involved in, as well as something employees often feel reluctant to speak to their employer about anyway. And this trend appears to be getting worse, BITC pointed out.

It cited research conducted by Durham University for The Vodafone Foundation which suggested that, on average, employers reported one fewer disclosure about domestic abuse from employees in the past year compared with the year before. This indicated that, if anything, employees were feeling less, not more, confident about coming forward and seeking help and support from their employers, argued BITC.

Domestic abuse

How to develop a workplace policy on domestic violence

The Domestic abuse: a toolkit for employers document details three key actions employers can take to help victims:

  1. 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;
  2. Respond – they should review policies and processes so they are able to respond to a domestic abuse claim supportively; and,
  3. Refer – they should provide access to organisations that can help affected employees.

Louise Aston, wellbeing director at BITC, said: “Domestic abuse is in the foothills, although it’s gaining visibility with the government’s new Domestic Abuse Bill, it doesn’t feature as a topic for many employers yet.

“There are parallels with where we were with mental health a decade ago, and mental health in terms of stigma and shame. I hope that this toolkit will fuel debate about domestic abuse, touches all employers and that they have a duty of care and a legal responsibility ensure that the workplace is a safe and supportive to disclose.”

The toolkit encourages employers to look out for the various signs of domestic abuse, including frequent absence or lateness, reduced quality or quantity of work, being secretive about their home life, visible bruising, a change in the amount of make-up worn and isolation from their colleagues.

But employers also needed to be aware of different cultural and social factors. For example, people from different cultural backgrounds might experience abuse in different forms – such as “honour” violence – and lesbian, gay and bisexual men and women might be vulnerable to abusers who threaten to “out” them to colleagues, friends and family.

Minister for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability Victoria Atkins said: “Domestic abuse is an appalling crime that affects people in all professions.

“Employers have a crucial role to play in helping staff who are victims of domestic abuse. That is why this toolkit is so valuable, as it provides employers with simple steps they can take to raise awareness and support their colleagues.”

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“Through initiatives like this as well as through government action including the Domestic Abuse Bill, we can transform society’s response and properly tackle these awful crimes.”

Draft legislation to provide better safeguards for victims of domestic abuse is due to be debated in the autumn.

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
Trump cap firing puts workplace policies in the spotlight
next post
Government confirms end to freedom of movement: with potential exceptions

You may also like

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

Awareness weeks fuel spike in demand for mental...

19 May 2025

Healthcare workers prioritise mental health support in new...

12 May 2025

Two-thirds of school leaders suffering mental ill health

6 May 2025

‘Healthy work’ about much more than access to...

28 Apr 2025

Tool developed for employers to calculate cost of...

28 Apr 2025

Why employers must do more to support all...

24 Apr 2025

How to help employees quit vaping before new...

22 Apr 2025

NHS urging people to check for cancer warning...

22 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today