14 January 2021
Few employers are aware of the signs of domestic abuse, and an even smaller number have a policy in place to support survivors, a new report has found
in an open letter, the Business Minister calls on employers to do more to help their workers
steps employers could take include fostering an open, inclusive environment and signposting employees to free support services
Business Minister Paul Scully has today (14 January) issued a rallying call to employers across the country to take some simple steps to ensure their organisation is spotting signs of domestic abuse and helping their staff find the right support.
She added: “To be able to deal with this there has to be an awareness, people have to start understanding. It has to be in the public discourse, the public dialogue - this happens and it can happen to anyone under your nose.
“What Covid did was open that dialogue in a way that’s never been done before. People understood. Imagine you are locked-in with someone who is abusing you. People suddenly felt it. That really has made a massive difference.”
But she warned that with so many people now working at home the “boundaries are blurred”.
“Gone are the days of leave your personal problems at home, when you get to the office door ‘stiff upper lip and all that’. This can be a matter for life and death for some people,” she added.