Taking a corporate stand against domestic violence

15 February 2015 - 02:00 By Jamie Smyth
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RULE OF THE FIST: Support groups say domestic violence often passes from one generation to the next
RULE OF THE FIST: Support groups say domestic violence often passes from one generation to the next

Australian businesses are pioneering ways to tackle abuse at home and support victims at work, writes Jamie Smyth

Before her murder, Rachelle Yeo knew she was in danger. She had changed jobs and moved city after ending an 18-month affair with work colleague Paul Mulvihill. But her efforts to escape his harassment were foiled the day he broke into her Sydney apartment and stabbed her twice with a kitchen knife in the neck and chest.

Of the 510 homicides reported in Australia between 2008 and 2010, violence between partners or former partners accounted for 122 of them, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology. Domestic violence that does not end in death and may be unreported is more common. According to a survey, 17 per cent of all women and 5 per cent of men in Australia have experienced violence by a partner since they were 15.

The problem is so acute that companies are finding ways to help combat it.

“It is a cultural issue related to men’s attitudes to women,” says Roger Yeo, Rachelle’s father, who has become a campaigner against domestic violence since her murder. “But I believe at least some of these tragic incidents may be preventable by promoting more awareness in society and setting up proper domestic violence programmes in workplaces.”

Many countries have begun to tackle domestic violence. In Australia, policy makers have launched advertising campaigns to raise awareness. But enlisting workplaces to break down the taboos surrounding domestic violence and provide support for victims is a relatively new phenomenon and one in which Australia is a pioneer.

Last month telecoms company Telstra, one of Australia’s biggest employers, with 36,000 employees, began offering 10 days paid leave per year for full time workers who experience domestic violence. It followed similar moves by National Australia Bank, McDonald's Australia and others.

“Often people don’t feel they can come forward and be honest with employers and end up leaving their jobs,” says Katherine Paroz, Telstra’s chief talent officer. “We want our people to feel trusted and supported. We don’t want to lose them.”

Providing dedicated domestic violence leave enables victims to access medical help, legal advice, counselling or cope with other emergency situations. Ms Paroz says she believes very few employees would game the system.

This year the Fair Work Commission, a public body that regulates workplace relations, will rule on an application by trade unions to make paid domestic violence leave an entitlement in all work agreements, a move that would cover 4m-plus employees.

“This would be a world first,” says Ged Kearney, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. “Including the right to 10 days paid leave for permanent staff and unpaid leave for casuals in all industrial relations creates a safety net for sufferers.”

Under changes introduced in the previous Labor government employees suffering domestic violence have the right to request flexible working conditions. Hundreds of companies and public bodies are also running workplace programmes to boost employee awareness, train staff on how to deal with the issue and ensure workplaces are safe and supportive environments.

“I’ve worked with women who have experienced domestic violence for 35 years and what shines through in their stories is how workplaces are often very positive and supportive environments,” says

Ludo McFerran, lecturer at the centre for gender-related violence studies at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

Ms McFerran is one of the architects of Australia’s push to engage companies in the fight against domestic violence. It began to gain traction in 2009 following a link-up between academics, campaigners and trade unions.

A 2011 study by UNSW showed two-thirds of women who experienced domestic violence were in employment, a finding that dispels a myth that most victims work in the home.

Almost half of victims said it affected their ability to get to work, due to physical restraint or injury. One in five women said the harassment continued while they were at work through abusive phone calls, emails or their partner coming into the office.

“Your self esteem is so downtrodden it is often difficult to make sensible decisions. I didn’t feel I could mention it to one of my earlier employers for fear of losing my job,” says Rosie Batty, who experienced domestic violence.

Last month Ms Batty was appointed Australian of the Year for her campaign work following the murder of her 11-year-old son Luke by his father, a former partner and workmate of hers who had mental health problems.

She urges employers to provide a supportive environment in which sufferers can tell managers if there is a problem at home. A job is often a vital financial lifeline for a single parent with an abusive ex-partner, she adds.

For women in an abusive relationship the economic independence provided by a job often gives them an option to leave, say campaigners.

White Ribbon, a group campaigning on violence against women, runs accreditation programmes which recognise workplaces that take steps to prevent and respond to violence against women.

This year 90 organisations and companies will take part in a process that develops policies, sets standards and educates staff on the issue.

Companies are starting to tackle gender bias at work, which can help to create the conditions where harassment or violence against women can flourish. Business leaders in Australia recently formed

Male Champions of Change, a group aimed at building gender equality into the culture of their businesses.

“The cause of domestic violence is power; it is gender inequality,” says Liz Broderick, Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner. “So anything men can do within organisations to tackle gender bias will eventually have an impact on prevalence rates of domestic violence.”

While many business organisations have embraced the campaign, some have reservations about the proposal to make domestic violence leave an entitlement in all work agreements.

“It’s a society issue, not something small and medium-sized enterprises should pick up the tab for,” says Kate Carnell, chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “Employees already have the right to request flexible working conditions in these instances and should use their personal leave.”

As a final decision by the Fair Work Commission approaches on whether to make domestic violence leave an entitlement in all industrial agreements, Australian campaigners are seeking to export their model. Trade unions in the UK, Canada and New Zealand have begun collecting similar data on how domestic violence affects women in the workplace and are liaising with their Australian counterparts.

“We’ve set up an international network to look at domestic violence in the workplace, which is generating a lot of interest at the UN and the International Labour Organisation,” Ms McFerran says. “It is still early days and social change is clearly a generational issue but I think we are seeing a real shift in how workplaces respond to the issue.”

 

Tips for the workplace

  •  Introduce a domestic violence policy that provides a definition of what it is, a description of how it affects work and a clear statement that abuse is unacceptable.  
  • Ensure staff are aware of the policy. Display public education material and phone numbers of helplines and counsellors.   
  • Provide training on identifying, preventing and responding to domestic violence. Employers should refer victims of abuse to trained counsellors, rather than try to get personally involved. 

Sources: University of New South Wales/ White Ribbon

 

(c) 2015 The Financial Times Limited

12-02-2015

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