1. Put power back in the victim-survivor’s hands
Jess Phillips MP, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, said the starting point for employer support should be to listen to the wishes of victims.
Speaking at the event, she said: “Employers are terrified of not knowing what to do in the case of a disclosure. But really most victims want someone to listen to them. People who have suffered domestic abuse are expert risk assessors. You should give them the power back and ask ‘what would you like me to do? How can I support you?’”
Susie McDonald, CEO of Tender, a charity which educates young people on healthy relationships, added: “For employers, it’s not rocket science and it doesn’t have to be complicated. We just need to create a culture where people who are experiencing abuse are getting support.”
She said although it can be challenging to accept that some victims of domestic abuse will be unwilling to leave or report their abuser, it is important not to get frustrated.
“Don’t think ‘why isn’t she leaving?’, think ‘what are the barriers that are stopping her?’”
Read more: Zurich UK introduces paid leave to help employees escape domestic abuse
2. Learn to spot the signs abuse may be taking place
Georgina Hamblin, founder of law firm Hamblin Family Law which often deals with domestic abuse cases, described some of the warning signs that employers might see from victim-survivors at work.
“Mobile phones are a constant feature of our lives now, but you may see a change in their behaviour at work, constantly receiving calls or constantly on their phone. You might also notice they have their video turned off for calls, or not coming to work functions or insisting on working from home.”
Hamblin reminded employers to look out for lesser-known types of abuse, such as financial abuse.
She added that an October 2024 report from family lawyer group Resolution found , 87% of family lawyers think the long-term impact of economic abuse is not sufficiently taken into account by courts.
“Financial and economic abuse is something that employers should be able to spot,” she added.
Read more: Speak up: HR's responsibility to address domestic abuse in the workplace
3. Remember domestic abuse can happen to anyone
Dani Saadu, head of people and culture at media agency Wavemaker UK, spoke about cases that he as seen where abuse has not been between partners.
He said: “I have been able to identify scenarios where domestic abuse wasn't just with partners. One of my youngest members of staff was changing their behaviour [...]. We were able to find out there was abuse with that person’s father and we were able to get the person session with our financial wellbeing support to help them move out and get their own flat. This meant they had a situation separate from their father without worsening that relationship.”
Claudine McMahon, global head of culture and inclusion at Vodafone group, said it is important to understand the intersectional impact of domestic abuse.
“Talk about it at Pride, talk about it in Mental Health Week, put it in line with other policies such as parental leave,” she said.
This point was also made by Meena Kumari, founder of H.O.P.E. Training and Consultancy, who emphasised the importance of understanding misogynoir (prejudice against black women).
“If we don’t understand the hatred of black women and nuances and differences between women of colour, how can we support them?”
She gave the example of how some women of colour feel uncomfortable interacting with the police to report an abuser: “Not everyone trusts or is treated the same by the criminal justice system. Not everyone wants to go to certain services.”
Kumari added that there are specialist services run by and intended for black women, which employers should consider when supporting women of colour in their organisations.
Employers must also be aware of a fact that has not been recognised historically, explained Carrie Bower, domestic abuse lead at charity Age UK, domestic abuse can occur at any age. In 2017, the Crown survey for England and Wales didn’t collect data for victim-survivors above 59 years old. That age limit was raised to 75, and then finally removed, after Age UK’s campaigning.
Bower said: “Older people have been invisible in data and if we don't have data, we don't have evidence or research or service provisions.”
