Policies that deliver social value: Domestic Abuse and the Workplace

Can a workplace policy contribute to meeting social value targets? Yes it can! Let’s take a closer look at how a domestic abuse policy can contribute to tackling inequality, provide equal opportunities, and improve employee wellbeing.

In England and Wales alone, it is estimated 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will experience or have experienced domestic abuse in some form, and that 74% of all victims of domestic abuse are women. Office for National Statistics data* has shown two women are killed each week by a current or former partner.

Types of domestic abuse vary, from financial, psychological and physical, to coercive control where the abuser uses intimidation, isolation and degradation to cut people off from the social and financial support they already have – including their jobs.

In their 2014 Survey report***, “Domestic Violence and the Workplace”, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) said that:

“Supporting employees who are experiencing domestic violence is crucial. Without a job and a source of income, those experiencing the abuse are less likely to find a way of escaping the abusive relationship. The emotional support of colleagues or of a union rep could also provide an important life line to an employee trapped in an abusive relationship. Without the link to the workplace and colleagues, those suffering abuse are more isolated and therefore more vulnerable.”

The TUC report also references analysis carried out by Professor Sylvia Walby and Jonathan Allen on the 2004 British Crime Survey****. They commented that:

“Vulnerability to some forms of inter-personal violence is associated with lack of access to economic resources. There are many ways in which lack of access to financial resources might increase vulnerability to becoming a victim, or indeed, perpetrator of violence. This may be associated with lack of access to resources to set up a new independent household or to pay for independent transport home such as a taxi. […] It is also possible that the causal link may flow in the opposite direction, that domestic violence leads to poverty either as a result of disrupted employment or as a result of fleeing the violence and setting up a new household as a lone parent who no longer benefits from a partner’s income.”

Given these insights, domestic abuse policy and training in the workplace can help both to tackle inequality and support equal opportunities through retaining employees if they are experiencing domestic abuse. The benefits to employee wellbeing are their ability to turn to their employer for signposting, supportive leave, payment, or processes that increase their safety at work and that of their colleagues.

As we delivered training, we heard stories from trainees of “a time when”. A time when they were scared or hurt and didn’t feel they could tell their manager. A manager who didn’t know their employee was being abused and perhaps thought that they were underperforming for other reasons.

We learned of an example where an employee had disclosed being in an abusive situation to a director and how the latter managed the situation through intuition, without any formal guidance or policy to rely on.

We came to learn that a Quality, Safety, Health and Environment team had not considered domestic abuse as a risk to safety at work for victims and their colleagues. These stories reinforced the necessity of establishing a clear and simple policy and effective training.

This blog was written by Angela Benson, UK Commercial Bid Manager at Kuehne + Nagel. Angela has worked in logistics for 20 years. Her current role is Senior Commercial Proposal manager where she provides consultation to sales owners on bid strategy and writes responses articulating the Social, Commercial, and Operational value of Kuehne+Nagel’s services. In her spare time, she volunteers as a trustee Chair for Chester Women’s Aid, who raise awareness of domestic abuse and funds for victims. Originally from the United States, she has worked in Asia, Europe, and now calls the UK home, along with her husband and son.