11.11 Develop workplace policies to prevent and respond to domestic violence
Content
Description of Best Practices
Develop an understanding of intimate partner violence and how it impacts employees and the organization; survivors of violence often experience post-traumatic stress, anxiety and sleep disorders, which negatively impact their ability to focus at work
Train managers and employees to recognize signs of violence and respond appropriately
Demonstrate leadership commitment to ending domestic violence and dedicate appropriate financial and human resources
Upskill HR staff with training on taking a survivor-centered approach to handle disclosure of violence, including sexual harassment, GBV, and domestic violence
Share resources with all employees, such as a hotline number, contact information for local shelters or support organizations, digital tools, and information on creating an individual safety plan
Provide leave options for employees who are experiencing domestic violence and need to find new housing, seek medical care or counseling, or obtain any other related services
Train male and female employees about prevention of domestic violence (e.g., recognizing what it is and impacts, how to prevent, anger management)
Create and implement workplace policies to prevent and respond to domestic violence and monitor/evaluate the impact of the workplace response
Challenges of Implementation
Sensitive topic that requires trust and good management to be tackled in a productive and respectful manner, especially when regional and cultural context condones or normalizes domestic violence
Tendencies to trivialize the topic, including jokes about violence within the family, as well as a mindset supporting a reversal of perpetrator and victim, may counteract efforts and create a harmful environment for those who share their experiences
Ill-informed managers and staff without appropriate training may see domestic violence as out of scope for the company and perceive it as a personal issue neglecting the influence it may have on work productivity
Survivors of domestic violence may have diminished self-esteem and/or may be reluctant to share their experiences out of fear of stigmatization.
What Success Looks Like
Managers and co-workers are sensitized to recognize signs of domestic violence experienced by colleagues
Support programs are used by survivors of domestic violence
Perpetrators or potential perpetrators of violence understand the harmful impacts of violence and adopt healthier anger management techniques
Resources and Tools
Guide: Integrating Gender into Workplace Policies (USAID)
Guide: Family Violence: A Workplace Issue – Strategies and Resources for HR Managers (Caraniche At Work)
Tool: Pods and Pod Mapping Worksheet (Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective, BATJC)
Tool: myPlan App (The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing)
Course/E-learning: Virtual Training Exercise: A Supervisor responds to an Employee's Experience of Domestic Violence (Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence)
Course/E-learning: Virtual Training Exercise: A Supervisor responds to an Employee who experienced Sexual Assault (Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence)
Example: Gender Equality & Social Inclusion in the Time of COVID-19 (Equilo)
Example: Model Workplace Policy (Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence)
Example: Resources for Employers (Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence)
Example: Resources for Survivors and Co-Workers (Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence)
Example: Q&A: Violence against Women during COVID-19 (World Health Organization)
Report/Study: Ending Violence is Our Business: Workplace Responses to Intimate Partner Violence in Asia and the Pacific (UN Women)
Report: Handbook: Addressing Violence and Harassment Against Women in the World of Work (UN Women and ILO)
Article: How to Revamp your Harassment Prevention Program (Society for Human Resource Management)
Article: Survivor-Centered Approaches to Eradicating GBV: Centering Survivor Experiences, Intersectionality and Restoring Power (The Prevention Collaborative)