Government
research estimates domestic violence costs employers and workers around £2.7bn
a year. So what exactly can employers do to address this serious and most
sensitive of issues? Simon Kent reports.
According
to Stephanie Klass, partner in commercial law at Berg
& Co, employers who believe staff may be experiencing domestic violence
should enquire as to whether that individual needs help,
although they need not voice their suspicions directly.
However,
if such enquiries or offers of help are consistently refused, then the employer
must respect that decision. "Active intervention must be dealt with very,
very carefully," Klass says. "Indeed, any
direct intervention should occur only if and when the individual wants that
intervention."
While
this protects the employee's right to privacy, if the situation directly
affects their performance at work, the employer may have no option but to
address that performance through established disciplinary procedures - with all
the concurrent complications. It is clear that creating a culture where such
problems can be addressed is of paramount importance for HR.
Keith
Astill, head of corporate personnel at Nationwide building society, outlines its four-step policy.
The
first element is "a work-life balance flexibility to deal with the need of
people to take time off at short notice for short periods of time." This
facility enables people to "deal with practicalities - housing, court
appearances if necessary or simply to spend time with family and friends".
In
addition to this, Nationwide provides a welfare fund with interest-free loans
to help alleviate immediate financial problems, plus around-the-clock access to
free and confidential counselling services. This facility is extended to
include immediate family members as well. Backed with the building society's
'dignity at work' policies, its overall absence rate is below the CBI's
benchmark for financial service companies.
The
'Touch' programme running at Garlands Call Centres in Hartlepool also
recognises that improving absence figures is not just about offering incentives
for being at work, but about addressing the reasons for non-attendance. One
aspect of the programme is to promote every employee's ability to deal
effectively with emotional and social issues.
Chief
executive Chey Garland said: "This programme has
been designed to give people real skills and experience to help them tackle
problems at home and around them, to build confidence and develop communication
skills."
Kevin
Friery, director of counselling at Right Corecare, says one of their NHS customers worked with the
unions to provide extra support for domestic violence victims.
"Their
approach is much more about education - how we help people not to become
victims, and how we help potential perpetrators to develop better ways of
coping with stress," he says.
In
recent years, the TUC has taken significant steps in addressing the problem of
domestic violence, publishing the Domestic Violence Guide in November 2002, and
their own research a year later.
Union
representatives can now receive training to provide help and support to their
colleagues in the workplace. This is a particularly useful resource for
employers since some workers may be more likely to accept help from one of
their peers, rather than their direct employer.
Domestic violence: A guide for the workplace
costs £20 (£5 to TUC-affiliated unions) and is available from TUC Publications
0207 467 1294