Workplace toolkit launched to support victims of domestic violence

A toolkit to help businesses support employees who are suffering from domestic violence at home has been developed by Public Health England.

The toolkit, available at is designed to offer organisations step-by-step guidance on how to approach and manage what can be a sensitive and often hidden issue in the workplace, but that nevertheless can lead to absence from work and associated health problems.

According to PHE, more than 20% of employed women take time off work because of domestic violence, and 2% lose their jobs as a direct result of the abuse, while 75% of domestic abuse victims are targeted while at work.

The toolkit was commissioned by PHE to coincide with the “16 Days of Action Against Domestic Violence” campaign, which ran from 25 November to 10 December 2014.

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It includes advice for members of staff on how to address the issue at work, as well as guidance on how to communicate and raise awareness of it with others.

Professor Kevin Fenton, director of health and wellbeing at PHE, said: “As it stands, domestic violence is a hidden issue in the workplace and companies can do more to support their employees who experience domestic abuse, train those who witness it, and protect staff as a whole.”