The role of trade unions in supporting victims of domestic violence in the workplace

• Author: Tony Bennett,Carol Jones,Gemma Wibberley,Alison Hollinrake
• Date: 01 January 2018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/irj.12204
• Published date: 01 January 2018

The role of trade unions in supporting

victims of domestic violence in the

workplace

Gemma Wibberley, Tony Bennett, Carol Jones and

Alison Hollinrake

ABSTRACT

This article explores the effects that domestic violence has on victims in their

workplace and how trade unions respond. Focussing on the experiences of union

representatives, the research highlights the support offered to victims, the barriers

representatives face and the under-acknowledged personal impact that these cases

can have upon representatives.

1 INTRODUCTION

In the UK, trade unions are involved in highlighting the impact of domestic violence

in the workplace, raising awareness of its effects on employees and encouraging em-

ployers to put domestic violence policies in place (Elger and Parker, 2006). At a local

level, union representatives have also been actively involved in supporting their mem-

bers who are experiencing domestic violence. However, this is rarely examined in the

literature. This article will explore the role that trade union representatives have in

supporting victims/survivors of domestic violence in the workplace.

The scale and scope of domestic violence have long been recognised in the UK,

with at least 27 per cent of women and 13 per cent of men suffering from domestic

violence during their lifetime (ONS, 2016: 75). What is less well documented is the

impact of domestic violence on employees and workplaces, although a Trade Union

Congress (TUC) survey found that 13 per cent of victims were experiencing domestic

violence in the workplace (TUC, 2014: 4). Research has shown that this can directly

impact on an employee’s productivity, absenteeism, and employment prospects

(de Jonge, 2016).

Crucially, workplaces can provide valuable support for employees who are

experiencing domestic violence (Reeves and O’Leary-Kelly, 2009). This said, fear of

disclosing their situation to an employer can make accessing this help problematic

(Swanberg et al., 2007). Thus, for many victims, disciplinary sanctions can be a more

common first response from their employer (Faichnie, 2010), as workplace problems

❒Gemma Wibberley, Carol Jones and Alison Hollinrake (formerly of), Institute for Research into

Organisations, Work and Employment (iROWE), Management School, University of Central

Lancashire, Preston, UK and Tony Bennett, Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University,

Sheffield, UK. Correspondence should be addressed to Gemma Wibberley, iROWE, LancashireSchool of

Business andEnterprise, University ofCentral Lancashire, Preston,UK; email: gwibberley@uclan.ac.uk

Industrial Relations Journal 49:1, 69–85

ISSN 0019-8692

© 2018 Brian Towers (BRITOW) and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

are misinterpreted by managers and human resources (HR) professionals (EHRC/

CIPD, 2013).

It is within this context that the role of unions becomes significant. Unions can col-

lectively negotiate for better support and policies (Baird et al., 2014). They can run

awareness raising campaigns and offer resources for employee representatives and

companies to support victims and survivors (Elger and Parker, 2006). Representatives

can also support employees on a one-to-one basis, for instance, advising them about

relevant external services (Foreman, 2006).

Yet, despite the beneficial role employee representatives play in handling

workplace domestic violence, there are limited studies in this field. Indeed, domestic

violence as a workplace issue is also generally under-researched. Drawing upon a

small-scale survey of 18 union representatives, this article will explore employee

representatives’experiences of handling domestic violence cases.

This article highlights key issues within domestic violence and uses available

evidence to demonstrate its impact upon workplaces, employees and unions. It

is argued that union representatives can have a crucial role to play in an em-

ployee being able to keep their job and access organisational support if they

are experiencing domestic violence. However, representatives face challenges in

providing that support due to issues of non-disclosure and the lack of under-

standing and awareness within workplaces. Representatives’capacity is also

shaped by the support (or its absence) from other organisational actors and pol-

icies. Furthermore, the study reveals that there can be high expectations upon

representatives from others and upon themselves, to be able to manage domestic

violence cases on the part of their member, the victim. This is a role they may

not have been trained for nor have sufficient support for managing in relation

to the personal impacts of the cases on themselves.

2 LITERATURE AND EVIDENCE REVIEW

2.1 Domestic violence—is not this a private matter?

Domestic violence is often perceived as a private matter (Swanberg et al., 2012),

which takes place within and only affects the ‘domestic’realm and, as such, it can

be viewed as of little consequence to employers and employee relations. Conse-

quently, domestic violence is rarely acknowledged in UK employment policies, prac-

tices or literature. Nevertheless, there are data to suggest that domestic violence costs

employers at least £1.9 billion annually in ‘lost economic output’in the UK alone

(Walby, 2009). Nor is this isolated to specific sectors or employers; it is estimated that

around 10 per cent of workers in every organisation are experiencing domestic

violence at any given time (EHRC, 2010: 5).

Furthermore, domestic violence is perpetrated between couples of any gender

or sexuality or by family members and affects all socio-economic groups.

Women, however, are substantially more likely to be the victim of domestic vio-

lence (Walby et al., 2016), with around double the amount of women experienc-

ing abuse across their lifetime compared with men (ONS, 2016:75).Women are at

higher risk of severe abuse or domestic violence homicide, with two women mur-

dered every week by their partner, former partner or lover in the UK; in addi-

tion, around two men a month are killed in England and Wales by a current

70 Gemma Wibberley et al.

© 2018 Brian Towers (BRITOW) and John Wiley & Sons Ltd