I had the humble opportunity of being interviewed by Pip Lawrence. The focus of our conversation was the impact of domestic abuse at the workplace. This poses a specific challenge for employers who say, I have a zero tolerance policy towards any perpetrators of domestic abuse. This is something that The HR Dept has been campaigning for, well before the pandemic, because employment law has some catching up to do, when it comes to addressing DA at the workplace. One of my colleagues is supporting a client on the same matter, as I draft this post. Some common questions, to which we will hopefully have better answers a few years down the line:
1. How do I address a complaint of domestic abuse against an employee?
2. With 1 in 5 stating they would take days off due to DA and 1 in 10 stating they quit their job because of DA, should DA as a social issue be a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, 2010? It is after all a form of harassment but despite being in the personal remit, has a significant impact on an individual’s work life and career.
3. Given the above stats and many more, and our social responsibility as a small business to the local community, is reasonable belief that an employee is an alleged perpetrator of domestic abuse, a sufficient enough reason to take formal action against an employee?
As we continue to support our clients and local business community on this evolving area of the law, just thought I’d share my thoughts and the interview last week with Pip Lawrence, with a focus on how to recognise, respond and refer an employee suffering from domestic abuse.
Although not in the small business remit, Vodafone has set a fantastic example of what can be done.
