Why Family and Domestic Violence Is a Workplace Issue

Family and domestic violence (FDV) is often perceived as a personal issue, but it’s also a workplace issue. Workplaces can become safer spaces for victims and survivors. If you’re a manager, know that you have the power to support victims of FDV in your team (and your organization).

Understand some of the ways that the trauma of FDV can show up in the workplace. While there is no “one way” FDV shows up in people or at work, signs to look out for may include the appearance of frequent, unexplained bruises or injuries, last-minute absenteeism, or aggressive and abusive comments in the background of a virtual meeting.
Read up on your legal obligations. Learning about the legal rights that a victim of FDV is entitled to makes you more aware and informed about the support you can offer your team members should they confide in you.
Advocate for your employer to become more aware and sensitive to FDV at the workplace. If your company’s policies on addressing FDV in the workplace are not robust, don’t hesitate to bring it up to your manager. Reach out to HR with your ideas and advocate for more resources with the support of your boss and other leaders in the company.
Reduce the stigma around FDV. Make it safe for people on your team to disclose or speak up about any issues they may be experiencing. Create a psychologically safe team culture where every member feels comfortable sharing their experiences without reprimand or judgment.

Family and domestic violence (FDV) is often perceived as a personal issue and is relegated to life outside of work. But it’s also a workplace issue.

Dr Jamie Phillips MB ChB, AFCHSM, DIMC, RCS(Edin), MRCGP(UK), FACRRM(EM) is a commando-trained military officer, who served for 20 years in the UK Armed Forces and Australian Defence Force as an embedded doctor and operational commander on multiple combat operations around the globe. He is a specialist rural and remote physician, with advanced specialist training in emergency medicine. As Medical Director at Sonder, Jamie is responsible for the quality, safety and responsiveness of the clinical support provided. A practicing physician, Jamie maintains his currency working in emergency medicine and as a lecturer at Bond University.

Rakshitha Arni Ravishankar is an associate editor at Ascend.

Partner Center

Explore HBR

HBR Store

Article Reprints
Books
Cases
Collections
Magazine Issues
HBR Guide Series
HBR 20-Minute Managers
HBR Emotional Intelligence Series
HBR Must Reads
Tools

About HBR

Contact Us
Advertise with Us
Information for Booksellers/Retailers
Masthead
Global Editions
Media Inquiries
Guidelines for Authors
HBR Analytic Services
Copyright Permissions

Manage My Account

My Library
Topic Feeds
Orders
Account Settings
Email Preferences
Account FAQ
Help Center
Contact Customer Service

Follow HBR

Harvard Business Publishing:

Higher Education
Corporate Learning
Harvard Business Review
Harvard Business School