When an employee is experiencing economic harm, there is likely to be a flow-on effect that could impact other staff members or teams. If productivity is affected, colleagues can be left feeling frustrated, concerned, or may even display strong emotional responses.

Depending on how these experiences are expressed, workplace relationships and culture can also be impacted – for better or worse.

The social element of work relationships can also lead to a level of personal distress for some people. There may be a feeling of responsibility to step in, support their colleague or fix their problem. For others, it could trigger old or current feelings relating to their own experience of violence or trauma.

By providing information to all staff about family violence, employee rights, and internal or externals pathways for support – some of these points can be addressed.