Domestic and family violence (DFV) doesn’t stay at home.
It follows people to work — in bruises hidden under long sleeves, in missed meetings, in fearful glances at the phone. It shows up in lost productivity, increased turnover, and the silent suffering of colleagues who don’t know what to say or do.
For too long, workplaces treated DFV as a “private matter”. But the truth is, work can be both a refuge and a risk for people experiencing harm. And that means every organisation — regardless of size, industry, or budget — has a role to play.
The good news? You don’t need to have all the answers to take meaningful action. You just need to start.
Here are five things every workplace can do this month to better support staff impacted by DFV.
1. Make it Visible: Communicate Your Support Clearly and Often
If no one knows your organisation cares, it doesn’t matter what’s in your policy.
Visibility is the foundation of support. It signals safety before someone discloses, and it helps reduce the shame and stigma that keep people silent.
What this looks like in practice:
- Add DFV messaging to your internal comms. Share a message from leadership during a team meeting, feature DFV resources in your newsletter, or include a standing “where to get help” box on your intranet homepage.
- Put posters in bathrooms and kitchens. Quiet, private places where someone can stop, read, and reflect — away from their team or manager.
- Incorporate DFV awareness into onboarding. Let new hires know from day one that your workplace recognises DFV as a safety issue and offers practical support.
- Use survivor-informed language. Instead of focusing only on “victims” and “perpetrators,” talk about “people experiencing or using DFV,” and emphasise your commitment to both safety and accountability.
🔎 Real-world example: A logistics company we worked with displayed wallet-sized cards with DFV hotline numbers and a simple message: “Your safety matters. You’re not alone.” Staff could discreetly take one without needing to ask anyone.
2. Train Your Managers to Recognise and Respond
When a team member is in crisis, their manager is often the first person to notice. But without training, many leaders freeze — or worse, dismiss the signs altogether.
That’s not because they don’t care. It’s because they’re afraid of “saying the wrong thing,” or assume it’s not their place to ask.
By training managers in trauma-informed, compassionate response, you give them the tools to act — and the confidence to do so.
Key training goals:
- Recognise warning signs (e.g. unexplained injuries, sudden absenteeism, isolation, visible fear)
- Respond without judgment or pressure
- Know what workplace supports exist
- Refer to external experts and EAP services
- Respect confidentiality and safety planning
Even a short, two-hour workshop can equip managers with essential skills to respond appropriately — and make all the difference in a moment of need.
💬 “Before the training, I would’ve just said ‘take some time off.’ Now I know how to actually support someone — and what not to say.”
— Manager, aged care provider
3. Offer Practical, Flexible Support Beyond Leave
The 10 days of paid DFV leave available under the Fair Work Act is vital — but for many people, it’s not enough.
Survivors need practical, flexible options tailored to their specific risks. That might mean changing their work location, adjusting rosters, or even providing temporary financial relief.
Practical support options include:
- Changing work hours or shift patterns to avoid contact with a perpetrator or allow for court appointments
- Remote work flexibility or providing safe transport options (e.g. cab charges, secure parking)
- Pay advances or emergency grants for relocation, childcare, or legal costs
- Phone number or email changes to protect privacy
- Blocking abusive callers or email senders
- Temporary reassignment or relocation to another office or branch
Crucially, all of these can be offered confidentially and case-by-case — without needing staff to provide police reports or justify their situation.
📈 Why it matters: In a 2022 report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, nearly half of people experiencing DFV said financial insecurity was a major barrier to leaving an unsafe situation. Workplaces can bridge that gap.
4. Map the Employee Lifecycle: Spot the Gaps in Your Systems
Supporting people affected by DFV isn’t just about responding to crisis moments — it’s about designing workplaces where harm is less likely to occur, and help is easier to access.
One way to identify blind spots is to map the employee lifecycle: from recruitment to offboarding.
Ask yourself:
- Recruitment & onboarding: Do we ask candidates about their safety needs? Do we communicate our DFV support early?
- Performance management: Are we penalising people for absenteeism or behaviour that could be trauma-related?
- Payroll & admin: Can people change their details (e.g. bank accounts, emergency contacts) without disclosing DFV?
- Exit processes: Are people leaving because they feel unsafe or unsupported? Are we collecting feedback about that?
Even small changes to these systems can reduce risk and increase trust.
🛠 Pro tip: Form a working group (including HR, operations, payroll and frontline managers) to review each stage of the employee journey for DFV-related risks or missed opportunities.
5. Build a Safety-First Culture (Not a Compliance-First One)
Ultimately, your workplace culture — not just your policies — will determine whether people feel safe enough to speak up.
Culture is shaped by what leaders say, what they reward, and what they ignore.
If your default is “we’re not trained for this,” or “that’s a private matter,” your staff will hear the subtext: Don’t bring this here.
But if your culture is safety-first, people know: you’ll listen, you’ll act, and you’ll stand with them — not shrink away.
Ways to model a safety-first culture:
- Speak openly about DFV during Mental Health Month or the 16 Days of Activism in November
- Acknowledge lived experience — some of your staff may have survived violence, even if they’ve never disclosed
- Model vulnerability — when leaders share how they’ve learned or changed, it gives others permission to grow too
- Avoid blame and shame — focus on accountability and support, not punishment or gossip
- Keep learning — culture is dynamic; commit to evolving your practices each year
🔐 Key principle: People don’t need their workplace to solve everything. But they do need to know it’s safe to ask for help.
Bonus: What If the Person Using Violence Works for You?
DFV isn’t always something that happens to your employees. Sometimes, the person using violence is on your payroll.
This can be confronting for workplaces. But ignoring it puts your staff, your reputation, and your culture at serious risk.
If someone is using violence:
- Take disclosures seriously, even if they occur outside of work
- Engage in a risk assessment — especially if their behaviour spills into work (e.g. stalking colleagues, threatening calls)
- Avoid automatic dismissal — unless there’s an immediate safety risk. Instead, consider a support and accountability pathway.
- Refer to experts — including men’s behaviour change programs and DFV consultants
- Protect victims from retaliation — particularly if they also work for your organisation
⚖ Reminder: Under WHS law, you have a duty to provide a psychologically safe workplace. That includes preventing risks from all staff — not just protecting the victim-survivor.
Resources and Next Steps
Taking your first or next step in DFV workplace response doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Start with what’s in your control, use available resources, and build over time.
Here are a few helpful links:
- 1800RESPECT: www.1800respect.org.au — national DFV and sexual assault counselling line
- Lifeline: Provides 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au
- MensLine Australia: A national telephone and online counselling service for men. Call 1300 789 978 or visit mensline.org.au
- Barnardos Australia: Offers integrated programs and services to support families through the trauma caused by DFV. Visit barnardos.org.au
- Safe and Equal: Provides expertise to address family violence and supports safe and just responses to victim survivors. Visit safeandequal.org.au
- .eSafety Commissioner: Offers support for those experiencing technology-facilitated abuse. Visit esafety.gov.au
- RSPCA Safe Beds for Pets: Provides temporary safe housing for pets of individuals escaping DFV. Call (02) 9782 4408 or visit rspcansw.org.au
- Men’s Referral Service: Offers confidential support and referrals for men seeking to change their abusive behaviours. Call 1300 766 491 or visit mensreferralservice.org.au
- SAFER Resource: Provides information on programs across Australia aimed at helping perpetrators change their behaviour. Visit saferresource.org.au
Final Words
Domestic and family violence is not just a social issue — it’s a workplace one.
And that means workplaces have power. The power to protect, to support, and to reduce harm.
Whether you’re a 10-person team or a multinational organisation, you don’t have to wait for a perfect strategy to make a difference.
You just need to start.
Pick one action from this list — just one — and commit to it this month. Then build from there.
Because when we treat DFV as a business issue, a safety issue, and a human issue — we become part of the solution.
