Providing a supportive and safe workplace can ease the emotional, psychological and physical pain that family and domestic violence has on affected employees. Employers can also support employees to access professional support services that can provide assistance with issues outside the workplace.

What a supportive employer should do

Supportive employers:

  • know the facts about family and domestic violence and educate their workplace
  • know their legal responsibilities and what their employees are entitled to at work if they’re experiencing family and domestic violence
  • develop workplace policies and procedures for:
    • addressing matters related to family and domestic violence
    • supporting employees experience family and domestic violence
  • conduct regular training or information sessions to inform employees about the signs and impact of family and domestic violence. This can include:
    • displaying workplace safety information prominently at the workplace
    • holding education and training sessions (both in-person or online)
    • regularly including safety information in meetings and employee newsletters.

A workplace policy and procedure could include information about:

  • what family and domestic violence is
  • how managers and employees can support individuals affected by family and domestic violence, including guidance on recognising the signs of abuse and how to conduct conversations
  • leave and other entitlements employees can access if they’re affected by family and domestic violence
  • the need to ensure privacy and confidentiality in relation to matters concerning family and domestic violence
  • safety measures that can be implemented to ensure the workplace is safe and ensure individuals experiencing family and domestic violence are safe while at work
  • support services available inside (e.g. Employee Assistance Programs) and outside the workplace

What a supportive employer shouldn’t do

To be a supportive employer, you need to make sure your decisions and actions minimise negative consequences for employees. It’s important that you don’t:

  • treat anyone affected by family and domestic violence negatively
  • take actions before consulting with employees
  • discuss or share personal information in public forums or with others
  • try to solve or ‘fix’ situations for others.

Remember, confidentiality is extremely important.

This content was originally published by the Australian Government’s Fair Work Ombudsman under a creative Commons licence