Support services for small business owners

Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of your employees has numerous individual and commercial benefits, such as improved mood, improved productivity, and reduced absenteeism in your workplace.

This extends to employees experiencing family and domestic violence. When an employee is experiencing family and domestic violence, they may be exposed to potential physical and emotional injuries, financial stress, coercive control, homelessness, isolation, and mental health vulnerability.

Understanding the entitlements for employees experiencing family and domestic violence will help you best support your staff and ensure workplace safety and legal obligations are adhered to.

What are my employee's entitlements?

Under the Fair Work Act, employees working in a small business dealing with the impact of family and domestic violence can:

• take up to 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave per year
• request flexible working arrangements
• take paid or unpaid personal/carer's leave,or other forms of leave,in certain circumstances.

What if I need more guidance?

Providing access to FDV Leave Entitlements is relatively simple, as outlined in our guide, Leave and payment processes.

However, if you would like to obtain more information about your legal requirements and obligations, the Fair Work Ombudsman Small Business Guide to Family & Domestic Violence provides more details.

If you are still unsure, consider reaching out to your local legal aid service (see details below).

Legal aid

Workplace training services

Victim-Survivor advocates

Along with professional family and domestic violence awareness training programs such as DV Alert, connecting your workplace with victim-survivor advocates can be a practical and powerful method of enhancing family and domestic violence awareness, and providing the necessary skills to your employees. See table below for family and domestic violence victim-survivor advocates.