Small Business, Big Impact

In Australia, one in 4 women, and one in 14 men, has experienced domestic violence – so it’s likely you are working alongside someone who has experienced it. Gretel Killeen speaks with Catherine Fitzpatrick, the business representative on the advisory group of the Australian Government's National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032, to learn more about different forms of family and domestic violence. 

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Is your employee pulling back from social functions? Taking photos of themselves at work? Gretel Killeen speaks to Mark Richards, a community trainer on domestic violence, to learn about some of the warning signs of family and domestic violence that employers can look for in the workplace. 

Resources for Small Business:

• 1800RESPECT www.1800respect.org.au 1800 737 732
• Lifeline Australia 13 11 14
• Men’s Referral Service https...

Gretel Killeen speaks with Ingrid Macartney, director of the Immigrant Women’s Support Service, to learn how to have a calm, open-ended conversation with an employee you think may be experiencing violence. 

Resources for Small Business:

• 1800RESPECT www.1800respect.org.au 1800 737 732
• Lifeline Australia 13 11 14
• Men’s Referral Service https://ntv.org.au/mrs/ 1300 766 491
• Employer guide to family and domestic violence (Fair W...

A small business owner explains why employers should not feel that they have to solve their employee’s domestic violence situation. The most important thing is to believe them, and give them the support they ask for. 

Resources for Small Business:

• 1800RESPECT www.1800respect.org.au 1800 737 732
• Lifeline Australia 13 11 14
• Men’s Referral Service https://ntv.org.au/mrs/ 1300 766 491
• Employer guide to family and domestic viole...

Many small businesses are like a family. And if someone in your actual family is violent and unpredictable, your workplace takes on even more importance in your life. Gretel Killeen speaks with Karen Prestidge – an expert who has spent decades training first responders on how to deal with domestic violence situations – and learns that domestic violence can affect anyone, in any type of workplace.  

Resources ...

People experiencing domestic violence may need to go to court; hospital; find housing; set up a new bank account; get counselling; and a multitude of other things that mostly happen during work hours. Gretel Killeen speaks with Padma Raman, CEO of Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety, about why paid family and domestic leave is important. 

The financial impact of violence against women and their children on Australian production and the business sector is $1.9 billion a year. Catherine Fitzpatrick, business representative on the advisory group of the government's National Plan to End Violence Against Women and their Children, takes Gretel Killeen through the impact that domestic violence can have on your workplace.

Half of all people experiencing violence say their violent partner interferes with work - in some cases, even coming to the workplace. Inspector Mel Dwyer, manager of the Queensland Police Service’s Domestic Family Violence and Vulnerable Persons Unit, talks about how to protect your employees and workplace. 

For every person experiencing violence, someone is using it against them. What if that’s your employee? Mark Richards, a community trainer in family and domestic violence, talks about how to navigate this difficult situation – and the importance of getting expert advice. 

In our final episode, Gretel Killeen wraps everything up by exploring three new case studies with a panel of experts. In the first scenario, a business owner wants to take matters into his own hands. In the second, a restaurateur finds that a waiter is being violent towards the chef, who is also the waiter’s mother. Finally, a graphic designer’s employee has fled a violent marriage, and wants to quit - because she’s afraid of being...