7 Mistakes Employers Make With Workplace Domestic Abuse Training, and How to Fix Them

Domestic abuse does not stop when someone arrives at work. It can affect attendance, concentration, performance, finances, wellbeing and personal safety. It can also enter the workplace through unwanted calls, messages, stalking, harassment or a perpetrator turning up at the employee’s place of work.

For employers, this means that workplace domestic abuse training is not simply an optional wellbeing topic. It is part of building a safe, informed and supportive organisation.

The UK Government’s review of workplace support for victims of domestic abuse found that employers have an important role in recognising signs, responding appropriately and signposting employees to specialist support. However, many organisations still do not have a clear policy or a consistent approach.

The launch of the Women’s Aid Workplace Charter in 2026 has added further momentum. The Charter provides a structured framework for employers to develop policy, train staff, appoint workplace champions and review progress. Although the Charter was launched by Women’s Aid ABCLN for employers in Northern Ireland, its message is relevant across the UK: domestic abuse should be treated as a workplace issue, not a private matter that employers ignore.

Here are seven common mistakes employers make, and what good looks like instead.

1. Having no workplace domestic abuse policy

The mistake

Some employers rely on general wellbeing, safeguarding or equalities policies to cover domestic abuse. Others have no written approach at all.

This leaves employees unsure about where to seek help and leaves managers unsure about what they should do if someone discloses abuse. It can also result in inconsistent decisions about absence, flexible working, workplace safety and confidentiality.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 created a statutory definition of domestic abuse and placed duties on local authorities in England relating to accommodation-based support. It did not create a specific statutory duty for every employer to have a domestic abuse policy.

However, pressure on employers is rising. Expectations around safeguarding, employee wellbeing, responsible business and duty of care are all developing. Employees increasingly expect their organisations to have a meaningful response.

How to fix it

Create a standalone employer domestic abuse policy, developed with specialist advice. It should explain:

• What domestic abuse is, including coercive control, psychological abuse, economic abuse and technology-facilitated abuse.
• How employees can raise concerns or disclose abuse.
• Who is responsible for responding.
• How confidentiality and consent will be handled.
• What practical support may be available.
• How absence, performance and conduct issues will be managed.
• What steps can be taken to improve safety at work.
• How the organisation will respond if an employee is using abusive behaviour.

What good looks like

The policy is easy to find, written in clear language and linked to HR, safeguarding, health and wellbeing, equality and security procedures. Employees see it as a genuine offer of support rather than a document written only for compliance.

2. Treating training as a one-off tick-box exercise

The mistake

An organisation delivers one awareness session, records attendance and considers the job complete.

One-off training can raise awareness, but it rarely gives people the confidence to respond safely to a disclosure. It may also become outdated as policies, local services, legislation and organisational structures change.

A short awareness session for all staff has value, but it is not the same as training HR professionals, line managers or workplace champions.

How to fix it

Use a tiered training model:

1. Awareness for all staff: what domestic abuse is, how it can affect work and where to find help.
2. Practical training for managers: how to notice concerns, start a conversation and respond without causing harm.
3. Specialist training for HR and safeguarding leads: policy, risk, confidentiality, safety planning, performance and referral pathways.
4. Refresher training: regular updates, scenario discussions and reminders about internal procedures.

The Women’s Aid workplace training programme illustrates this layered approach, with separate modules covering understanding domestic abuse, supporting survivors and HR policy.

What good looks like

Training is matched to people’s roles. It includes realistic scenarios, time for questions and clear next steps. New managers receive it as part of their development, while existing staff receive refreshers rather than being expected to remember a single session indefinitely.

This is the difference between domestic abuse awareness training corporate programmes that simply inform and domestic abuse training courses that build practical capability.

3. Having no safe route to disclose

The mistake

An employer tells staff, “My door is always open,” but provides no clear or confidential way to ask for help.

For someone experiencing domestic abuse, approaching a line manager may not feel safe. The manager could be close to the person’s partner, work in an open-plan office or lack the confidence to respond. A person may also be worried that their disclosure will be recorded, shared or used against them.

How to fix it

Offer more than one route to support. This might include:

• A trained workplace champion.
• A named HR or safeguarding contact.
• A confidential employee assistance route.
• A secure online reporting or contact process.
• A trade union representative.
• An external specialist service.

Make it clear what happens after someone gets in touch. Explain what information will be recorded, who may need to know and when information might have to be shared because of an immediate safeguarding risk.

Do not pressure anyone to disclose, leave a relationship or report to the police. The employer’s role is to listen, believe, help the person consider options and signpost to specialist support.

What good looks like

Employees know where to go before a crisis happens. Information is available through the intranet, staff handbook, induction, posters and manager guidance. Materials are inclusive and reflect that domestic abuse can affect people of any gender, age, sexuality, disability, ethnicity or immigration status.

4. Leaving managers untrained

The mistake

Managers are often the first people to notice a change in attendance, mood or performance. Yet they may receive no domestic abuse training at all.

Without guidance, a manager might dismiss repeated lateness as poor commitment, ask intrusive questions, promise complete secrecy or confront a suspected perpetrator. Any of these responses could increase risk.

How to fix it

Give managers simple, practical guidance. They should understand how to:

• Notice possible signs without making assumptions.
• Choose a private and safe time to speak.
• Ask an open, non-judgemental question.
• Listen without investigating.
• Avoid blaming language.
• Explain confidentiality honestly.
• Record only what is necessary.
• Contact HR or safeguarding leads.
• Signpost to specialist services.
• Consider immediate workplace safety.

A helpful response might be: “I’ve noticed you seem under a lot of pressure recently. You do not have to tell me anything, but if something is affecting your safety or wellbeing, we can talk about support.”

What good looks like

Managers know their boundaries. They do not try to become counsellors, investigators or domestic abuse specialists. They respond calmly, follow the policy and involve the right people promptly.

5. Ignoring the link with absence and performance

The mistake

Absence, lateness, missed deadlines, reduced concentration and changes in behaviour are treated only as performance or attendance problems.

Domestic abuse may be behind these issues. A perpetrator might prevent someone from sleeping, damage work equipment, control transport, interfere with childcare or repeatedly contact them during working hours. Some employees may also become highly focused on work because it is safer than being at home.

The Government review found that domestic abuse can have a significant impact on performance, attendance and productivity. It also highlighted the importance of early intervention.

How to fix it

Train managers and HR teams to include sensitive wellbeing questions in absence and performance conversations. This does not mean assuming domestic abuse is the cause. It means creating enough trust for an employee to mention it if it is relevant.

Consider reasonable, temporary adjustments such as:

• Flexible start and finish times.
• Time off for appointments or legal proceedings.
• Temporary changes to duties or location.
• A phased return after a period of absence.
• Changes to workplace contact details.
• Additional security measures.
• Keeping an employee’s location confidential.
• A supportive review of performance targets.

What good looks like

The organisation remains fair and accountable while recognising that safety and trauma can affect work. Performance management is not abandoned, but it is handled with context, care and flexibility.

6. Having no specialist referral pathways

The mistake

An employer tells an employee to contact a general wellbeing service or search online for help. This can place too much responsibility on someone who may already be managing fear, surveillance, financial control or isolation.

Domestic abuse requires specialist support. General counselling or an informal workplace conversation may not be enough.

How to fix it

Map local and national referral pathways before they are needed. Include services that can support different communities and circumstances, including men, LGBT+ people, disabled people, migrants and people experiencing economic abuse.

Your referral map might include:

• Local domestic abuse services.
• National specialist helplines.
• Housing and refuge services.
• Legal advice.
• Specialist services for LGBT+ survivors.
• Support for disabled people.
• Police and emergency contacts.
• Employee assistance services.
• Local authority domestic abuse partnerships.

Use trusted resources such as Women’s Aid’s information and support pages, the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse and Hestia’s Everyone’s Business Advice Line.

What good looks like

The organisation knows which services are available, how to contact them and what their eligibility criteria are. Referral information is reviewed regularly and shared safely. Managers signpost rather than promise outcomes they cannot deliver.

7. Failing to follow through

The mistake

After training, nobody checks whether the policy is understood, whether managers feel confident or whether employees can actually access support.

This is where good intentions disappear. Champions leave, contact details become outdated and new managers are appointed without training. An organisation may still say it supports employees, but the practical response no longer works.

How to fix it

Build review into the programme from the beginning. Set regular dates to:

• Check training completion.
• Review disclosure routes.
• Update referral information.
• Test workplace safety arrangements.
• Gather anonymous staff feedback.
• Review case learning without identifying individuals.
• Refresh manager guidance.
• Report progress to senior leadership.
• Revisit the policy with specialist partners.

The Women’s Aid Workplace Charter is useful as a news hook because it places emphasis on structured implementation, trained champions and ongoing review rather than a single declaration of support.

What good looks like

Domestic abuse training becomes part of the organisation’s culture. Leaders talk about it responsibly. Managers know what to do. Employees can find support without having to explain their situation repeatedly. The organisation learns, updates its practice and remains accountable.

Build a response that works in practice

Good workplace domestic abuse training is not about turning employees into experts. It is about helping the right people recognise concerns, respond safely and connect employees with specialist support.

For employers looking for domestic abuse training UK organisations can use with confidence, Serene Futures provides practical, specialist training for teams, managers and HR professionals. Our training can help you move from awareness to action, including policy development, safe disclosure, manager confidence, workplace safety and referral pathways.

Contact Serene Futures to discuss domestic abuse training for employers and create a programme that fits your organisation.