It’s time to talk about HR’s role in addressing domestic violence

From financial insecurity to strains on mental health, many of COVID-19’s impacts go beyond the immediate health crisis and have tragically converged into fertile ground for domestic and family violence.

In Singapore alone, police reported a 22% rise in family violence reports during circuit breaker measures.^ Other countries saw alarming drops in reporting as problems went underground. Around the world, advocacy groups and even the United Nations have been ringing the alarm about heightened domestic violence.

Meanwhile, businesses have been facing existential questions. What, exactly, are their responsibilities? Where does work end and home begin? What does “success” even mean if your people are sick, unsafe, hurting? Many were reevaluating their role in mental health and wellbeing support years ago, but COVID-19 has intensified those questions. Bolder action is now a business imperative as well as a social one.

That’s why it’s time for organisations to think seriously about domestic violence. Because the reality is that domestic violence and mental health problems aren’t new – the pandemic has just made them harder to ignore.

I’m a firm believer in approaching these issues with not just empathy but intellectual humility. To educate myself and shed light on a problem still rife with stigma and misunderstandings, I spoke with Wendy Hammonds, General Manager of People and Capability at Foodstuffs North Island in New Zealand, on the most recent episode of People People. Unfiltered.

It was instructive right off the bat. I know I’m not alone in viewing New Zealand as a vanguard of inclusiveness and progressive culture – and that’s correct in plenty of ways. But Wendy pointed out that New Zealand also has some of the highest rates of domestic violence in the developed world. Like domestic violence itself, reality is complicated and can’t be reduced to a problem for certain individuals or communities.

That’s only the beginning of what I learned. Wendy shared an incredible look into a forward-thinking organisation’s approach to domestic violence. It feeds directly into two of the most important questions people and culture leaders should be asking themselves: what is your organisation’s role in domestic violence and wellbeing more broadly, and what can you do to prepare people leaders for tough conversations right now?

Understand that you may not understand

“Not all domestic violence looks like bruises.”

That was Wendy’s haunting description of domestic violence’s complexity. She stressed that there are a lot of myths and that it can take many forms – physical, sexual, financial.

“Many people may not even recognise they’re in a violent situation,” she explained. “And, if you’ve never experienced it yourself, it’s hard to understand what people face when they try to leave.”

Wendy said it’s crucial to engage with subject matter experts. For Foodstuffs, one of New Zealand’s most recognisable brands and home to a ubiquitous supermarket collective, that means engaging with organisations like Women’s Refuge.

“Partnering with subject matter experts is critical not only for designing policy but also dealing with different permutations of people leaving or speaking up. They’ll help you understand the situation is a marathon, not a sprint. And there are ways to support people throughout that marathon."

Be loud and proud about formal policy

Wendy has helped her organisation prepare extensively for such marathons, through both a formal policy framework and a culture where tough conversations are welcome.

At Foodstuffs, owner-operators are embedded in their communities and have close relationships with their people, making them some of the first to spot indicators of domestic violence. The organisation responded to these situations with extensive but informal support.

“What we found is that people didn’t know where we stood,” said Wendy. “They didn’t know support was available to them or how to seek it proactively.”

“It was important to put a strong stake in the ground. In 2018, the working day following New Zealand’s White Ribbon Day, we announced formal policy changes to show we care deeply about this and that we’re going to back it up with tangible support.”

Like many employers, Foodstuffs offers paid leave to those experiencing domestic violence. But their framework goes further, including but not limited to:

• Practical steps to ensure perpetrators can’t contact people at work or even trace their movements outside of it, from changing phone numbers or turning off cell phone GPS.
• Total privacy, including how they log domestic violence leave. “Many people don’t want to be labelled with ‘domestic violence,’ so we can log it under a ‘special leave’ categorisation that’s not just used for domestic violence situations.”
• Extra security on-site, whether through security guards or moving the employee’s car park space closer to building exits.
• Working with the person to create financial independence via different accounts, actioned at the right time. “Each situation is unique, so we work with the individual to ensure measures are helping, not putting them at greater risk.”
• Supporting an exit – one of the most dangerous stages of many domestic violence situations – by offering total flexibility to make arrangements and even replacing personal cars with company ones.

While formal policy frameworks are the backbone to Foodstuffs’ approach, Wendy also pointed to people leader enablement as critical groundwork.

Considerable training went into equipping Foodstuffs people leaders with the right knowledge – how to spot signs, how to listen, when to involve their HR business partner, how to connect people to specialist help – but also strengthening the right culture.

“We wanted them to understand why this was a priority. We wanted them to want to do this.”

Decide what really matters – and when ROI doesn’t

On reporting and success metrics, Wendy is proudly and refreshingly empty-handed.

“We don’t really have those numbers and that’s for a conscious reason. We so rarely log take-up as domestic violence leave – many people need discretion to feel safe coming forward.”

“Anecdotally, I do hear anonymous success stories. But we’re not doing it to advertise how great the initiative is, we’re doing it because it’s right and because we care.”

Careful measurement and ROI are of course vital when you’re, say, implementing new technology or optimising your supply chain. But sometimes organisations will need to let go of traditional approaches if they want to make a true difference in areas like mental health and domestic violence, issues that are too often stigmatised and relegated to the shadows to fester.

As Wendy put it:

“These kinds of issues are woven into the fabric of our society and businesses have a bigger role to play in addressing them. Social service agencies tend to be the ambulance waiting at the bottom of the cliff, but businesses have a chance to be the fence at the top – or at least one of the support systems signalling that help might be needed.”

I couldn’t agree more.

^ Singapore Police Force. Enhancing police’s response to combat family violence.