Domestic abuse factsheet for employees
If you are experiencing domestic abuse and it’s causing problems for you at work, it can be really difficult to talk to your employer about what’s happening. You might feel embarrassed or afraid to tell anyone or you might worry about whether your work record will be affected. Whether or not you tell someone at work is entirely your decision.
However, you should consider it, especially if the abuse is affecting your work, or you think you might be harmed as a result of the abuse. For example, you may find that, as a result of the abuse:
- Your productivity decreases
- You are frequently late or absent
- The abuse affects your behaviour in the workplace.
By telling someone at work, you can expect support from your employer. If you tell your line manager, they will have an increased legal duty to ensure your health and safety at work. This means they may be able to make workplace adjustments to support you, for example, assistance with:
- Making emergency and safe contact arrangements
- Managing your responsibilities and workload
- Improving your safety while you are at work
- Reviewing communications and IT safety.
The Department of Health, together with domestic abuse charity Safe Lives, have created a practical guide for employers who are experiencing domestic abuse. Download the Responding to colleagues experiencing domestic abuse guide here.
Help and support
If you believe there is an immediate risk of harm to you or your family, or it is an emergency, you should always dial 999.
Reporting domestic abuse
If you want to report a crime, but you are not in immediate danger, you can call the police on 101 or report online here. If you need the police in an emergency, please do not be afraid to dial 999 - they will help you and protect you from danger.
If you can’t speak in an emergency
Call 999 from a mobile
When you call 999, the operator (the person on the phone) will ask which emergency service is required. Listen to the questions from the 999 operator. If you cannot say ‘police’ or ‘ambulance’, respond by coughing or tapping the handset if you can. If prompted, press 55 on your phone. This lets the 999 call operator know it’s an emergency and that you aren’t safe to speak. To find out more about 999 calls where you are unable to speak, click here.
Call 999 from a landline
If only background noise can be heard and operators cannot decide whether an emergency service is needed, then you will be connected to a police call handler.
If you replace the handset, the landline may remain connected for 45 seconds in case you pick up again.
When 999 calls are made from landlines, information about your location should be automatically available to the call handlers to help provide a response.
If you are deaf or can’t verbally communicate
You can register with the emergencySMS service. Text REGISTER to 999. You will get a text which tells you what to do next. Do this when it is safe so you can text when you are in danger.
I don’t know where I am and need the police as it’s an emergency
If you need the police in an emergency and you’re unsure of where you are, you can use the what3words app or website to generate a random three-word code to let our call handlers know exactly where you are. This code gives police call handlers a simple way to describe precisely where you are and allow them to direct help straight to the scene. Find out more about what3words and how it could help you in an emergency.