The month of October has acknowledged a number of milestones moments with UK Black History Month, World Mental Health Day, World Menopause Day and National Parents Week. We also acknowledged National Domestic Abuse Awareness Month in October which could possibly be seen as unusual to observe in a professional setting. However, it’s something that we need to raise further awareness of given the impact employment can have for Domestic Abuse Survivors.

At AMS, we have partnered with EIDA, Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse, which brings together a network of employers to build awareness, share best practice and champion change to take effective action on Domestic Abuse in the UK. 

The below article in the Guardian highlights why employers need to take action, and unavoidable stats include:

• 56% of employees said that domestic abuse led to absenteeism
• 54% said that it caused the quality of their work to suffer
• £66billion is the economic cost of domestic abuses in England & Wales in 2016/17
• 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime

This month, AMS & EIDA delivered a joint session to nearly 190 UK&I colleagues to raise awareness of Domestic Abuse, spot signs and support colleagues. We have built a Domestic Abuse Resource hub and hope to continue the momentum from the initiatives this month, prioritising wellbeing and offering a safe and supportive environment that won’t tolerate domestic abuse in any form.

Not long ago, the idea that domestic abuse could be talked about in the workplace would have seemed incongruous, even shocking.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/30/domestic-abuse-support-in-the-workplace