Impact in the workplace
WORKFORCE & employment
Research from the EHRC found that an astonishing 75% of people experiencing domestic abuse will be targeted at work from harassing phone calls, abusive partners arriving unannounced, to physical assaults.
Domestic abuse also has implications for a business’s own health. In the UK, The Home Office report into the Social and Economic Costs of Domestic Abuse estimates, the cost of domestic violence to the economy at £14 billion per year. An estimated £316m per year is lost just due to the work absences related to domestic abuse (KPMG and Vodafone, 2019).
The financial impact is not limited to absenteeism or lateness but can be felt through:-
- Loss of Productivity: through employees who may be less able to concentrate, produce lower quality outputs or are at increased risk of causing accidents at work.
- Poor Mental Health & Wellbeing: this includes low confidence and self esteem and the increased risk of developing complex coping mechanisms i.e. substance misuse.
- Reduced Career Progression & Increased Staff turnover: the cost of employees leaving their jobs (either voluntarily or involuntarily) and the cost of recruiting/training replacement staff. Domestic Abuse also significantly affects career progression.
- Other Negative Consequences for a Business: impact on workplace culture, impact on team/colleagues, raised claims and insurance premiums and the external reputational cost to the organisation. Sadly, some victims end up being killed in the workplace by their abuser – which is a consistent feature of many serious case reviews.
Did you know that 21% of those affected will have to take additional time off for numerous appointments, court hearings, medical concerns and concerns about their children.
75 % of people experiencing domestic abuse will be targeted at their place of work
An Estimated £316m is lost per year due to work absences related to Domestic Abuse
Domestic Abuse impacts on productivity, performance, absence, sickness, staff turnover and poor career progression
Impact in the workplace
One Study highlighted that 1 in 2 of those affected by domestic abuse during their working life said their work colleagues were also impacted through covering absence, taking on extra workload, managing relentless phone calls and visits to the workplace by the perpetrator.
The same global research also highlighted that generally, half of those affected by domestic abuse didn’t tell anyone about the abuse yet around 2 in 3 felt safer at work than they did at home and 2 in 3 felt they could be themselves at work and not at home. So, it is clear, that not only is the workplace impacted directly by domestic abuse, but it could also offer, with the right training and support, the perfect place for someone to reach out and seek help and guidance.
Ending a dangerously abusive relationship without the right support can result in an escalation and the workplace is a prime place for this to occur. There have been many high profile cases in the media such as Clare Bernal, Hollie Gazzard and Molly McLaren which highlight this.
Would you know if that was happening in your workplace? What would you do? How would you manage it?
Alpha Vesta are here to support you mediate the impact of domestic abuse across your workplace and workforce which will ultimately ripple out across the wider community.
We use Brevo (previously called Sendinblue) as our marketing platform. By submitting this form, you acknowledge that the information you provided will be transferred to Brevo for processing in accordance with their terms of use