Every year, during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, workplaces across Australia pause to acknowledge domestic and family violence. We share statistics. We post orange or purple tiles. We hold events. We signal care.
And then, often, we move on.
But domestic and family violence does not pause when a campaign ends. It doesn’t stay neatly contained within homes or relationships. It follows people into workplaces, into inboxes, onto devices, into meetings, deadlines, rosters, performance reviews and pay cycles. It shows up in absenteeism, presenteeism, safety risks, disengagement and turnover. It shows up in silence.
If we are serious about ending domestic and family violence, we must move beyond awareness and into collaboration. Not as a buzzword. As a practice. As a shared responsibility. As a long-term commitment that recognises business not as a bystander, but as a powerful participant in change.
The future we want — where people live and work free from violence — cannot be built by government or frontline services alone. It requires businesses, communities and systems working together, intentionally and consistently.
Domestic and Family Violence Is a Workplace Issue — Whether We Acknowledge It or Not
Domestic and family violence affects people of all genders, backgrounds and industries. In Australia, approximately one woman is killed every week by a current or former partner, often following a history of domestic and family violence. Millions more experience physical, sexual, emotional or psychological abuse across their lifetime.
The Deloitte Access Economics report makes something clear: domestic and family violence is not only a social and moral crisis — it is also an economic one. In 2008–09, the cost of intimate partner violence to the Australian economy was estimated at $13.6 billion, with projections rising to $15.6 billion annually if no preventative action is taken.
Around 800,000 women in the Australian workforce have experienced violence. That violence does not stay outside office walls. It impacts attendance, performance, productivity, safety and wellbeing — not just for victim-survivors, but for colleagues, teams and leaders.
Workplaces absorb the impacts whether they choose to respond or not.
Why Collaboration Matters More Than Ever
For decades, responses to domestic and family violence have been fragmented. Governments fund programs. Specialist services respond to crisis. Communities advocate. Businesses often sit on the sidelines, unsure of their role or hesitant to engage.
But fragmentation has a cost.
The Deloitte report highlights that progress is realised only when government, business and communities work collaboratively. Not in isolation. Not through one-off initiatives. But through coordinated, integrated approaches that address prevention, response and recovery together.
Collaboration matters because:
- Domestic and family violence is complex and systemic
- No single sector has all the levers
- Survivors interact with multiple systems simultaneously
- Gaps between systems create risk
- Power imbalances thrive in silos
- Prevention requires cultural change, not just crisis response
Businesses are not external to this system. They are central to it.
The Unique Role of Business in Ending Domestic and Family Violence
Businesses reach people in ways governments and services cannot. They shape daily environments. They influence norms. They control resources. They design systems. They set expectations. They decide what is tolerated and what is not.
Businesses employ people experiencing violence — and people using violence. They provide income, which research consistently shows is one of the most significant factors influencing whether someone can leave or stay away from an abusive relationship. They control flexibility, leave, safety arrangements and access to support.
Workplaces can either reduce risk or amplify it.
When businesses step into this space thoughtfully, they can:
- Create environments where disclosure feels safer
- Reduce economic dependence and vulnerability
- Interrupt the misuse of work resources for abuse
- Reinforce norms that violence is unacceptable
- Support early intervention
- Connect people to specialist services
- Influence broader community attitudes
When they don’t, silence fills the gap.
From Compliance to Commitment
One of the biggest barriers to progress is treating domestic and family violence as a compliance issue rather than a leadership issue.
Policies are necessary. Paid leave is essential. Training matters. But when these actions are implemented solely to meet minimum standards, their impact is limited.
Real change occurs when leaders visibly commit, model behaviour, allocate resources and sustain focus beyond campaigns or crises.
This means moving from:
- “We have a policy”
to - “We are accountable for creating safety”
From:
- “We ran training once”
to - “We are building capability over time”
From:
- “This is HR’s issue”
to - “This is a whole-of-business responsibility”
From:
- “We’ll respond if someone discloses”
to - “We are actively reducing risk and harm”
What Collaboration Looks Like in Practice
Collaboration is not abstract. It shows up in concrete, practical ways.
The Deloitte report describes a model where government, community and business work. Government provides policy leadership, funding, legislative frameworks and national coordination.
Community organisations deliver specialist expertise, survivor-centred support, prevention programs and advocacy.
Businesses contribute reach, resources, systems, leadership influence and everyday environments where people spend much of their lives.
When collaboration works well:
- Data is shared appropriately to improve responses
- Referral pathways are clear and trusted
- Employers understand when and how to engage specialist support
- Community services understand workplace contexts
- Survivors don’t have to navigate systems alone
- Prevention efforts are reinforced across settings
This kind of collaboration doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intention, trust and ongoing investment.
Why Businesses Should Act — Even If They Don’t Think DFV Is ‘Their Issue’
Some organisations still believe domestic and family violence is outside their remit. The Deloitte report challenges this assumption directly.
Domestic and family violence affects productivity through absenteeism, presenteeism, lost output, administrative costs and reduced team performance. It creates safety risks when perpetrators misuse work resources or when victim-survivors are tracked, harassed or harmed in connection with work.
There is also a growing expectation — from employees, customers, investors and regulators — that businesses play a role in addressing social harms, particularly those linked to gender inequality and violence.
Beyond risk mitigation, there is an opportunity for leadership.
Businesses that engage meaningfully in this work:
- Build trust with their workforce
- Strengthen reputation and social licence
- Attract and retain talent
- Demonstrate values in action
- Contribute to long-term societal change
Doing nothing is not neutral. It is a choice with consequences.
Learning From What Already Works
The Deloitte report highlights examples where business involvement has made a tangible difference. In Australia, initiatives such as paid domestic and family violence leave, banking products tailored to survivors, partnerships with community organisations, and leadership groups like Male Champions of Change have helped shift awareness and practice.
Internationally, industries such as transport, telecommunications and trades have used their unique touchpoints to support people experiencing violence.
What these examples have in common is not perfection — it is participation.
They show that businesses don’t need to have all the answers to begin. They need willingness, humility and collaboration.
The Role of Technology and Innovation
Today, domestic and family violence increasingly intersects with technology. Abuse is facilitated through phones, apps, platforms, surveillance tools and workplace systems.
This creates new risks — and new responsibilities — for businesses.
Workplaces must understand how technology can be misused for control, harassment and monitoring, and how their own systems can inadvertently enable harm. This includes email, calendars, messaging platforms, remote work tools and data access.
Collaboration here is essential. IT, HR, WHS, leadership, community experts and employees must work together to design safer systems and responses.
Innovation is not just about new tools. It is about new ways of thinking — embedding safety, dignity and autonomy into the systems people rely on every day.
After the 16 Days: What Comes Next?
The 16 Days of Activism matter. They shine a light. They create momentum. They invite reflection.
But the real work begins after the campaign ends.
Post-16 Days, businesses have a choice:
They can return to business as usual — or they can ask, what did we learn, and what will we do differently now?
The future we want is one where:
- Domestic and family violence is recognised as a shared responsibility
- Workplaces are safe places to disclose and seek support
- Economic security is part of prevention
- Leaders are equipped and accountable
- Collaboration replaces fragmentation
- Technology is designed with safety in mind
- Gender inequality is addressed as a root cause
- Silence is replaced with informed action
This future is possible — but only if we build it together.
A Call to Businesses: Playing Your Part
Capyble calls on every business to develop and commit to a plan to address domestic and family violence. Not as a one-off, but as an evolving commitment.
This includes:
- Starting and sustaining conversations
- Providing flexible, survivor-centred support
- Embedding policies that protect and empower
- Training leaders to respond safely and confidently
- Holding perpetrators accountable
- Partnering with specialist organisations
- Communicating clearly that violence is unacceptable
As former Telstra CEO David Thodey noted – “when violence is so prevalent in society, it is by default a workplace issue.” (https://content.deloitte.com.au/e/f2?LP=907)
The Future Is Collaborative
Ending domestic and family violence is one of the most complex challenges our society faces. There is no single solution, no silver bullet, no sector that can do it alone.
But there is something powerful that happens when businesses step out of the shadows and into collaboration — when they stop asking “Is this our role?” and start asking “How can we contribute?”
At Capyble, we believe workplaces are not just sites of risk — they are sites of possibility. Places where safety can be modelled, support can be offered, norms can be challenged and futures can be changed.
The 16 Days of Activism remind us why this work matters.
Collaboration is how we make it last.
