While domestic violence is not limited to any particular group, data shows that women are overwhelmingly more likely to be victims of physical, sexual and other forms of violence by a partner.
ANZ Regional Executive for the Pacific, Sarah Stubbings, said: “Domestic or family violence is a widespread social problem that affects people from all walks of life regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexuality or socioeconomic status.
“As a major employer across the Pacific, we believe it is important for ANZ to have support in place for our people affected by domestic violence,” Ms Stubbings said.
A new platform is being made available to ANZ staff affected by domestic violence, to make applications for two new financial grants easy to access. These benefits will complement comprehensive support that is already available for our staff across the Pacific.
Support available at ANZ includes:
Flexible working arrangements
Employees have a right to request variations to their working arrangements to enable them to deal with the effects of domestic violence. Variations could be to their hours or days of work, place of work, duties of work, or to other terms of their employment, which ANZ will seek to accommodate under its flexible working policy and respond to as quickly as possible.
10 days of paid Special Leave each year
Employees affected by domestic violence can request additional paid leave under our Special Leave Policy. Time off work might be needed, for example, to seek third party assistance, attend Court appearances, attend counselling or re-locate or search for alternative accommodation.
Temporary or Emergency Housing Assistance
Employees affected by domestic violence can apply for financial support in the form of a grant to cover the costs of temporary or alternative accommodation for employees at risk, particularly in countries where safe accommodation is limited or unavailable. This financial support will be capped at AUD1,000.
Legal Advice Assistance
Employees affected by domestic violence can request financial assistance, also in the form of a grant, to obtain legal advice from a lawyer where emergency legal protection orders are sought, up to the amount of AUD500.
Additional measures that could also be used include:
- Accessing the Employee Assistance Program for free and confidential counselling
- Altering the employee’s work telephone number
- Removing employees contact details from internal listings. “No matter where you live in the world, everyone deserves a home that is safe and free from violence. Domestic violence is often a hidden problem across the Pacific. We want to remove the stigma and have the right support in place for our people,” Ms Stubbings said.