A2 In our Business Fights Poverty report from last year it was clear that a number of companies were taking proactive steps to have clear domestic violence policies in place, with some adopting ‘paid safe leave’ and ‘flexible-working’ for staff (Vodafone, ABI). Much of this advice is redundant during a pandemic when staff are being asked to stay at home.
However, I still find the well respected and used 3R’s framework useful for thinking through alternative options.
Recognise - HR and leadership teams should actively communicate to staff to tell them that they are at increased risk of domestic violence and online abuse during this crisis.
Respond - Companies that had developed innovative advocate networks and other approaches to supporting employees should be increasing them and ensuring they are well staffed/adapted for virtual scenarios. Those companies should consider sharing best practise with others - online webinars etc?
I saw a very practical point in one paper (probably the CGD one again!) - that ‘Hotline support services and emergent SMS-based safety planning and support programs are essential lifelines in times of crisis in their ability to provide crisis counseling and strategic safety planning even remotely. Within a quarantine context, these should include security and privacy measures such that users can quickly exit and no trace is left in their search history (common safety elements employed by IPV care providers).
Refer - All staff should have access to information about national and local support services that still exist…
Also - learning more generally - what could or should companies be monitoring and reporting on with regard to GBV during the pandemic??
Great thanks Anita.bhatia@Unwomen.org
Although companies will and should respond to the outbreak, governments and states should also have a framework that protects women victims of violence in the workplace that all companies should adhere to and that all women, no matter where they work, should be able to access. Today too few countries offer this form of legal protection to women in their workplace and perhaps with the recent surge in violence it is time to rethink that. One of the primary reasons women stay and endure the cycle of violence is economic dependency on the perpetrator, so ensuring work and income is one of the most basic things that states can do to ensure that all women who are in this situation have an actual chance to leave. If women lose their job because of the situation they are living, they will fall even deeper into the cycle of violence and dependency. The first response should therefore be to protect women’s jobs in order to protect them.
With Led By HER, Kering, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, and Dentons we did a comparative legal analysis (UK/New Zealand/Italy/France/Australia/Canada) about the support the legal framework of a country should offer for victims of domestic violence in the workplace. Several of these best practice legal provisions to protect women who have suffered from violence in the workplace could be adopted by companies individually without waiting to be adopted at the state level. We would be happy to share the individual country reports that display what each country offers and gaps in legislation. We also have a comparative study of best practices around the countries that we can share with anybody who is interested and work together on implementing these at either the company or country-level. The final PDF report is not available but I can share all the documents on word via email.
These were examples of what came out of our research and actions employers can take in case there is no legal framework
- pes of protections offered to workers in relation to family and domestic violence
- The ability for workers to take leave when they experience domestic, family or sexual violence (Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Italy). This can be in the form of paid leave (Canada, New Zealand and Italy) or unpaid leave (Australia). Some jurisdictions (Canada and New Zealand) require a minimum service period before an employee can take family or domestic violence leave (Canada – 13 weeks or 3 months’ continuous service depending on the type of leave taken, New Zealand – 6 months of continuous service).
- Flexible working arrangements for workers experiencing domestic and family violence (Canada, New Zealand).
- Protection from discrimination (New Zealand), giving sufferers of domestic violence similar protections to those facing workplace discrimination on other protected grounds such as race or gender.
- An obligation on employers to take reasonable precaution to protect workers (Canada). This protection is described more fully in section 2 of this report.
Yes please! Let’s connect as a follow up. Fantastic.
One first step when launching such initiatives in a company is always to build allies within the organization. So identifying people within the organization that are already aware and interested across the organization to help promote initiatives. You can already gather these people and provide them training or programs to make them ambassadors for this cause. You can work with local women’s organizations to provide special presentations or training.
A second step would be to create widespread awareness among employees by organizing powerful talks, presentations, and using internal communications channels. This will also help employees who do not understand the issue or the magnitude of the issue better relate. Some employees may even be interested in contributing further or being engaged in other company-wide awareness programs. Forming a task force for creating a system and response is important.
There should be some policy/system implemented at the company level for dealing with all cases of domestic violence in the company. This should combine both training and awareness as well as orientation and response mechanisms that will be systemic throughout the company as well as well-communicated. People need to be trained and resources need to be mobilized to ensure that response is coordinated and effective. There are also several groups and resources available to help employers implement solutions.
Companies first and foremost should make it clear to women that if they speak they will benefit from confidentiality and protection and that they will put the necessary systems into place to that. And ensure that victims will not lose their jobs and that they are aware of that.
The company’s system should address the following issues:
- Safety and security: assessing whether the victim is safe and moving the victim or responding in case her safety is compromised (or changing hours or work location/branch depending on the case). Safety should especially be assured in cases in which the victim works in a public facing role/space open to the public.
- Providing flexibility: providing 10 days of unpaid leave is important in order to reduce absenteeism and allow women to respond to their situation
- Help victims financially: an important factor that prevents many women from getting help is the fact that they are financially trapped, companies can help by providing for example an advance on salary. Some organizations also help with housing if they have housing/accommodation available.
- Connecting victims to resources within the organization: whether these are internal ambassadors who have been trained to refer victims, social workers or HR, everyone who is in the response chain should be clearly identifiable by women, and this should be addressed in a company-wide communication + posters + events/webinars other means to ensure that the information is accessible and easy to find. Different parts of the company need to work together and be trained on identifying domestic violence situations, approaching victims and helping them find useful assistance. This may mean that there is a need for further training of certain staff (such as HR, medical staff and social workers) regarding domestic violence so they can be able to respond more effectively, they can be trained right now by women’s organizations online. Connecting victims to resources outside the organization: it is impossible for a company to handle domestic violence victims on its own. The company should have someone who has been trained (usually doctors or social workers in large workplaces) who can then refer the victim to local community resources (such as housing, legal support, psychosocial resources). Companies should build partnerships with a wide network of NGOs, hotlines, community organizations to refer victims efficiently.
- Campaign messages should stress several key points including the idea that domestic violence in the workplace affects everyone. Employees should be taught to recognize signs of abusive behavior in a partner or signals of victimization in co-workers. Lastly, they need to know specifically where to turn for help, understanding that they will not get in trouble for disclosing that they are a victim of abuse or for expressing concerns about a fellow employee. A simple referral to the EAP, or a local domestic violence hotline will suffice.
This will bring up questions of what broader policies do companies have to help employees who are victims of gender based violence at work. It is an excellent time for companies to start working on and preparing policies, programs, training, systems and communicating about them effectively throughout the company to respond in a suitable manner once the crisis ends.
Thanks, that’d be great.
A2 @janepillinger agreed, hile the Convention only comes into effect once two governments have ratified it - an event that we hope is imminent – CARE argues that business should not wait for the formal legislative process to run its course before taking action. Companies should recognise that the adoption of this Convention sends a clear signal that norms are shifting around what is expected of employers in terms of keeping their workers safe from violence and harassment. Companies should take urgent action to strengthen their workplace policies and practices to bring these in line with standards set out in the Convention and the guidelines in the accompanying Recommendation.
Employers that require their workers to work from home need to be aware that they still have an obligation to keep their workers safe. For many workers there may well be an increased risk of domestic violence and they could effectively find themselves trapped with their abuser in lockdown circumstances. There may also be a severe reduction in availability of and access to services that would normally be available to survivors of GBV and domestic violence.
At a minimum, employers should do a risk analysis taking into account the fact that rates of GBV, and domestic violence in particular, increase during times of heightened economic hardship and crisis; and devise appropriate mitigation measures. Companies should be revisiting their anti-GBVH policies, looking specifically at reporting mechanisms and ensuring staff have access to support services.
Businesses can refer to ILO Violence and Harassment Recommendation 206 for practical guidance on the kinds of actions that could help prevent, protect and provide recourse to survivors of violence and harassment at work.
Thanks for this question, Katie. See below a few ideas:
-Monitor the situation and well-being of all their workers, especially women during telecommuting, sick/family leave or other home-based arrangements. For instance, implement a buddy system between workers to check on each other’s well-being.
-Sensitize both women and men on the prevention of GBV during confinement for instance with daily electronic messages (SMS, WhatsApp message, email other corporate channels), declaring zero tolerance for GBV. Messages could be for all staff or specifically tailored for women or for men. |
-Sensitize and promote women victims of violence to ask for help or support if needed. Set up a cover/secret code and a secure channel (hotline, App, Whatsapp message or other mechanism) for women victims to report GBV cases. |
-Provide referral services to public or social support channels to address GBV situations. Appoint a person or group of persons in the staff to be referral points. This person/group should be provided all necessary information and be rapidly trained to receive the calls from female employees victim of GBV and refer their cases to the attention mechanisms.|
-Provide support services, either digital counseling or other therapeutic support to victims directly or through referral services.
Ask for help! It’s okay that employees are not experts in this. We weren’t experts in COVID-19 policies 3 weeks ago we relied on experts giving guidance. This is where civil society can play an huge and supportive role to employees. Glitch for example can provide employee training on digital self care and wellbeing, on key cybersecurity as well as consult on bespoke policies and processes.
It’s important to remember that under the Health and Safety Act 1974 employees already have a duty of care to respond to work related violence and now that work is at home well all should respond accordingly.
Yes indeed, I’ve been a bit concerned about how the narrative is shaped… especially when people are working at speed and trying their best to respond to a rapidly evolving situation. But we really need to urge businesses, governments and all actors to start their responses in an understanding of gender power relations and inequalities. Women are disproportionately affected by GBV, and violence is usually perpetrated by a male partner or close family relative. Many of the perpetrators, as well as the women experiencing violence, are employed - so a good starting point is to think through those dynamics and how businesses might respond.
Yes, not just businesses I don’t think. GBVH is often not prioritised as part of humanitarian response also - but I think we have to draw attention to how the very measures we are taking to keep people safe by forcing them to stay home, is doing precisely the opposite for too many women who experience intimate partner violence. And for businesses, people working from home means that it is increasingly difficult to deny its relevance for them too.
Yes, totally agree with you Seyi. Women’s rights organisations, and specialist service providers, have been figuring out the best way to support survivors of violence for many years. Ask them for input (and pay them for their expertise when you can - women’s civil society is struggling too in this environment).
Super clear, thanks Raquel!
yes companies can be using these organizations to do lots of training and awareness around these issues and paying them to support their services
A2.
Companies have a large role to play in supporting employees.
First, during this period of increasing lockdown, an employer is perhaps the one constant contact outside the home. Assume that some of your employees are experiencing violence in the home – however big or small your company, this is extremely likely to the be the case, especially for women employees. On this basis, companies can be alert to signs that an employee might be experiencing violence, and be proactive in thinking through what kind of support – either direct or through referrals – they are in a position to provide.
Second, companies need to understand that women will invariably pick up a greater proportion of the additional unpaid care load arising from lockdown due to gender stereotypes and socially ascribed roles. To rebalance this load and contribute to women’s wellbeing, companies can issue internal policies so that managers recognise this load and help redistribute it between men and women by accommodating flexible working patterns for men and women.
Women in the Global South will be harder hit than those in the north. They often lack formal work contracts and access to paid sick leave and are likely to continue working even if they fall ill. This critical moment is an opportunity for companies with supply chains around the world to ramp up their efforts to protect women’s rights, engaging their suppliers at all levels.
A2 * Support leadership, involvement and decision-making of women employees . This means meaningfully involve diverse women in leadership positions and decision-making around the companies response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery efforts.
- Companies should consider providing online information and training to workers on risks, prevention and protection measures, and on their rights and responsibilities. This should include making increased communication and awareness of VAWG services, hotlines and online platforms part of routine news and advocacy around the pandemic. Companies should also ensure communications are cognisant of the fact that homes are not always safe for women and that physical distancing does not mean that women and girls must tolerate violence or stay with abusers. Consider also how to engage men – including as potential perpetrators.
- Companies should remind staff how to report violence, harassment and abuse, and how to access services . During isolation measures, this might include online counselling and support, but wherever possible, options should still be available for victims/survivors to access health services and emergency shelter.
I understand that some countries - noticeably Canada, Australia and NZ above - have laws in place that provide for better support from the business world to address domestic violence. Has anybody seen positive ways these are being upheld at this time? Here in Canada, even some of our fundamental constitutional rights are being “temporarily” suspended. Non-essential businesses are not even permitted to operate. How are businesses still being obliged to provide support for their employees - many of whom may have been made redundant - who are now being forced to stay home or risk arrest, not allowed to go out for walks in national parks that have all been closed…? Moving on from “governments should…”, is there any evidence of good government practice right now?
I’d like to add that there is some really great work being done by some companies across Europe. I drew on lots of examples in the ILO / UN Women Handbook Addressing Violence Against Women in the World of Work (on UN Women’s web site). And more recently the ‘OneInThreeWomen’ company network of French multinationals (Kering, l’oreal, BNPPB, SNCF, Carrefour…amongst others) are doing some good work in building capacity in companies to address domestic violence. Kering has just launched a campaign to give information about emergency resources/helplines in UK, France and Italy, and the network are launching a big information campaign as we ‘speak’. Vodafone are updating their guidance (see Vodafone Toolkit) in the light of Covid-10 and as many of their staff teams are working from home tele-working. Its great to see these responses - its just much harder to give support when the home becomes the workplace, and surveillance/coercive control makes it harder to get external help and support.
I agree with you. Women’s networks and NGOs are the ones who can give clues and also get access to these women. My concern is how to keep safe rural women who have no access to internet or cell phones. This is a big challenge that UNDP is now discussing and trying to find solutions thought community engagement.