Katie Smith, HR director at Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, explains the organisations approach:
“We know we will have colleagues in our business who have experienced or will experience domestic abuse.
We want to ensure that not only are we supporting our people and their families, but that we are also lifting the lid on this topic and providing education. Above all, we want people to know that they are not alone.”
Sarah Haywood, who led the working group, adds “We want everyone to feel that we can, and will, help anyone who seeks support, and that we will believe and listen to them with care and empathy.”
Our approach focused on three areas: supporting colleagues, educating our wider business, and developing a domestic abuse policy to formalise our commitment to supporting our people. This was developed with the specialist help of charity Hestia who support, advocate, and campaign
for women and children who have experienced domestic abuse.
As we began to discuss and develop the support we could offer our people, it was very clear that there wasn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Everyone’s situation is completely unique, and so it
was important that the help we offered was completely flexible.
An incredible amount of thought, discussion and effort from a range of colleagues across our business contributed to our working group, some of whom have experiences of domestic
abuse themselves.
To raise awareness of the support available and to educate everyone on the impact of domestic abuse, we continue to host a number of webinars, workshops and drop-in sessions.
To date, these have included education about what domestic abuse is and the challenges that victims and perpetrators encounter, as well as personal stories from colleagues about their experiences, raising awareness of the worries and fears that people face and, unfortunately, how common domestic abuse is.
Our awareness and education activities were accompanied by the roll-out of the free Bright Sky app across all company mobile devices, providing practical help and information on how to respond to domestic abuse for anyone experiencing it, or who is worried about someone else. Bright Sky helps you to spot the signs of abuse, offers guidance on how to respond,
and can help someone find a safe route to support.
The app, managed by Hestia, can be downloaded by anyone for free via app stores or via Hestia’s
website: hestia.org/brightsky.
We also introduced an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor, or IDVA, who is a specialist
professional who works with a victim of domestic abuse to develop a trusting relationship. The main purpose of an IDVA is to secure the safety of victims at high risk of harm.
Our colleagues can access advice and help from advisors with specialist knowledge and training, improving the support and advice employers can provide while reducing the risk to all involved.
We continue to promote this service regularly, displaying posters signposting the service in
high-traffic and private spaces, and targeting particular times of the year where more support is known to be needed.
While the introduction of an IDVA requires ongoing investment, the other steps we’ve taken to support our teams are accessible to everyone. It can be daunting to start the conversation, but there are some brilliant resources available from several specialist organisations that offer a simple and straightforward place to start.
These include the Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA), and charities including Hestia, the Mankind Initiative, and Respect (who develop safe, effective work with perpetrators, male victims and young people who use violence), offering a broad range of resources and access
to advice and support lines.
Ultimately, the support we offer our colleagues wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our leadership team.
Recognising the prevalence of domestic abuse in the UK, and therefore the number of your colleagues who may be experiencing domestic abuse – in our case potentially hundreds of people - is key to understanding the impact you could have.
The thought, empathy and effort to develop effective support systems can’t be understated, but the positive impact that an employer can offer is clear. As an employer, we’re in a unique position in our colleagues’ lives, and one where offering support in even the smallest ways can have a
huge impact. It’s important to us that everyone feels able to thrive in their personal life and at work, and advocating for our colleagues’ wellbeing ensures that we continue to be a
supportive employer who provides opportunities for both personal and professional development.
If you would like to learn more about our approach, please get in touch via our website.
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