Perago becomes a member of the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA)

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone. 

1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. 

I shared these two statements at our Perago All Hands meeting last week as a first step in raising awareness of domestic abuse and how we as a company can provide support to our colleagues should they ever need it. 

In January we became members of the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA).  EIDA was set up with four key goals, to: 

• Raise awareness, inspire and support employers to tackle domestic abuse 

• Provide the tools an employer needs to take effective action 

• Share ideas so employers can learn from each other through resources and events 

• Work with government, partners and academics to provide the lates guidance and to champion change 

I will be honest and say I hadn’t heard of EIDA until I received a message from Sam Ali from CWMPAS who has recently joined EIDA as a trustee. Sam explained about the purpose of EIDA and invited us to become members.  Sam has made a pledge to get more organisations in Wales to sign up and we were happy to lead the way on that. 

People experiencing domestic abuse often struggle in work due to stress, anxiety, and physical harm. By being part of EIDA we can access resources, training and good practice to support colleagues. We talk a lot about being a supportive and inclusive company where the team can feel safe discussing their challenges and seeking assistance without fear of stigma or judgement.  Raising awareness and being clear about our intent to support, share and take action when needed is part of that commitment. 

We also have a responsibility to understand the potential impacts for employees suffering from domestic abuse when it comes to the workplace.  EIDA statistics show that domestic abuse all too often follows a survivor into the workplace:  

• Over one in ten of those who experience domestic abuse report that the abuse continues in the workplace, in 81% of cases this is through abusive emails or phone calls  

• 47% of those experiencing domestic abuse say that their perpetrator turned up at their workplace or stalked them outside their place of work   

• In a 2014 report, 16% of those who had experienced domestic abuse said that their perpetrator worked in the same place as they did. 

If raising awareness among our team helps build momentum to challenge the status quo on domestic abuse and make sure support is there for people when they need it, then it is the very least we can do.    

You can find out more about EIDA and how to become a member at www.eida.org.uk