Australian workplace domestic violence policies don’t translate into practice, according to new research
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Even though many organisations boast a range of policies relating to employee domestic violence matters, the conversion into practice falls short, according to Professor Karin Sanders, head of the School of Management at UNSW Business School.
Sanders was the lead researcher on a project which found that only 14% of respondents currently report any form of specific training for supervisors and managers to help victims disclose domestic violence.
Moreover, only 18% have any form of manager training to recognise victims of domestic violence.
The survey sampled the views of 1,125 HR professionals from private and public-sector organisations around Australia.
In terms of case management of domestic violence victims within organisations, some form of practice is evident, according to 23% of respondents. And practices to empower victims to do something about their situation are reported by 17% of respondents.
“Organisations are spending money and effort on policies that support employees who are victims of domestic violence, which is good for organisations and their staff, and society in general,” said Sanders.
“It is surprising that gender at the top of an organisation - having a female CEO and female members in the senior management team – is related to the presence of domestic violence policies and practices in the organisation.
“This is even the case when we control for the type and size of an organisation.”
The research was conducted during April and May by Professor Karin Sanders (UNSW Sydney), along with Professor Simon Restubog (Australian National University), Associate Professor Nick (Lu) Wang (ANU) and Claire Petelczyc (ANU).
The report was commissioned by the Australian HR Institute.
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