Domestic Violence and Flexible Working Practices

With the rise in worldwide attention focused on violence against women, Australia has announced changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 to incorporate flexible working practices as part of the National Employment Standards to enable more help for domestic violence victims harrassed or stalked in or at the workplace.

With 1 in 5 people in the workplace shown to have been affected by a UNSW Research study in 2011, and the critical part that a stable job with financial security plays in getting victims back on track with their lives, it is more important than ever that legislatively, employers are given some guidelines as to how best to help domestic violence victims at work.

The ability for a worker to request flexible working arrangements to break up regular patterns of employment to stop stalking or harrassment issues is a vital first step in ensuring workplace safety for domestic violence victims.

What is also needed now is a system of paid leave to allow victims to sort out their legal affairs and the availability of security to walk a victim to their chosen form of transport each day to avoid other incidents.

Read more about the introductions in this Conversation article.

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