Introduction: Counting the Hours
Think about it. If you work full-time in Australia — about 38 hours a week — across a lifetime you’ll spend close to 90,000 hours at work. That’s more time than you’ll spend eating, socialising with friends, or even with your children.
Workplaces aren’t just places to earn a wage. They are communities. They are the backdrop to our adult lives. They shape our sense of identity, belonging, and wellbeing.
Now consider what it means for someone experiencing domestic and family violence (DFV). If the workplace is not safe, supportive, and responsive, that person spends a third of their life in an environment where they can’t ask for help, can’t tell the truth, and can’t breathe freely. The consequences ripple through their health, their productivity, and the culture of the entire organisation.
This is why DFV cannot be relegated to the “private sphere.” The hours we spend at work make it everyone’s business.
Part 1: The False Divide Between “Home” and “Work”
For years, DFV was treated as an individual problem — to be managed at home, behind closed doors. Employers often shrugged, saying: “What happens in someone’s private life isn’t our concern.”
But the reality is simple: people don’t leave trauma at the door when they swipe into work. Violence impacts attendance, concentration, performance, and safety. Perpetrators often deliberately extend their control into workplaces, phoning, emailing, or showing up unannounced.
Work is not separate from life. It’s part of it. And when we accept that, we unlock a powerful opportunity: the chance for work to be a site of safety, support, and recovery.
Part 2: Wellbeing at Work — More Than Ergonomic Chairs and EAPs
When we talk about employee wellbeing, most leaders think of mental health programs, gym memberships, or ergonomic chairs. But wellbeing is fundamentally about psychological safety.
For someone experiencing DFV, psychological safety at work may mean:
- Knowing they can quietly adjust their roster if they need to attend court.
- Trusting that payslips or bank details won’t be sent to an unsafe address.
- Feeling confident that if they disclose, they’ll be met with support, not suspicion.
This type of safety is not “nice to have.” It’s part of the work health and safety (WHS) duty. Under Australian WHS law, employers are responsible for eliminating or minimising psychosocial hazards so far as reasonably practicable. DFV is one such hazard.
Part 3: Productivity and the Cost of Silence
The economic impact of DFV on workplaces is staggering. Studies estimate that DFV costs Australian businesses billions of dollars annually in lost productivity. That’s through:
- Absenteeism: Missed work due to injury, stress, or legal obligations.
- Presenteeism: Being physically present but unable to focus.
- Turnover: Employees leaving suddenly due to safety or lack of support.
But beyond dollars and cents is the silent cost: when employees see their organisation ignore or minimise DFV, trust erodes. Colleagues learn that silence is safer than speaking up. The culture hardens into one of avoidance — where people bring only fragments of themselves to work.
Part 4: Culture Lives in the Hours We Share
Culture isn’t defined by a glossy policy document. It’s defined in the everyday hours:
- The team meeting where a manager acknowledges DFV as a workplace issue.
- The quiet conversation where a colleague listens without judgment.
- The email from HR that outlines DFV leave entitlements in clear, human language.
Each hour spent in a culture that supports safety chips away at stigma. Each hour spent in silence reinforces it.
And because we spend so many hours at work, the cumulative effect is profound. Workplaces either become part of the problem — or part of the solution.
Part 5: Stories That Bring the Hours to Life
Imagine two scenarios.
Scenario 1: The Unsafe Workplace
Maria, a retail worker, spends 35 hours a week on the shop floor. Her partner calls her phone dozens of times a day. Colleagues notice but say nothing. Her manager sees her attendance slipping and puts her on a performance plan. Maria eventually quits, isolated and unsupported.
Scenario 2: The Supportive Workplace
In another store, a manager notices similar signs and quietly checks in. The organisation has a DFV policy and offers Maria flexible shifts and access to paid leave. Security is briefed discreetly. Maria stays in her role, connected to community services, and feels the workplace is a safe haven.
Both women spent the same hours at work. The difference lay in whether those hours offered safety or compounded harm.
Part 6: Why Leaders Must Reframe Their Role
Business leaders often underestimate their influence. But when you oversee a workplace, you hold the power to shape tens of thousands of collective hours.
Leaders who reframe DFV as a WHS and business issue:
- Protect their staff’s wellbeing.
- Safeguard productivity and retention.
- Strengthen workplace culture.
- Align with national strategies like the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children.
The hours are already passing. The question is: will those hours reinforce silence, or create space for support?
Part 7: Practical Steps to Make Work a Safe Place
Here are seven practical, low-barrier actions every organisation can take:
- Acknowledge the hours: Start conversations about DFV at all-staff meetings to normalise awareness.
- Clear policies: Go beyond compliance; make policies accessible, human, and survivor-informed.
- Train managers: Equip them to respond with empathy and confidentiality.
- Provide flexibility: Roster changes, remote work, or paid leave — simple supports with big impact.
- Secure systems: Protect payroll and contact details from unauthorised access.
- Promote resources: Display helplines and support services visibly in the workplace.
- Review regularly: Culture shifts through consistency, not one-off initiatives.
Conclusion: The Value of 90,000 Hours
Over a lifetime, each of us will spend nearly 90,000 hours at work. For someone living with DFV, those hours can either deepen the harm — or provide a lifeline.
Workplaces that understand this responsibility not only comply with WHS law but also cultivate trust, loyalty, and resilience. They tell their employees: “Your safety matters here. Your wellbeing matters here. You matter here.”
The hours are ticking by. What leaders do with them will define whether their workplace is remembered as a site of silence — or as a site of safety.
