Case Study: How Medibank supports employees experiencing Family and Domestic Violence (FDV)
Family and domestic violence (FDV) is at crisis levels in Australia. Workplaces have an active role to play in supporting employees who are experiencing FDV. Our Managing Director, Sarah Queenan spoke with Karen Oldaker, Senior Executive for Wellbeing and Shared Value of Medibank about some of the steps they are taking to support employees.
1 in 5 Australians have experienced family and domestic violence (FDV) by the age of 15. Tragically, over 60 women were killed across the country in 2023. Already in 2024, over 30 women have lost their lives due to FDV related incidents. This number is likely higher, as it is recognised that many instances of FDV, including death as a direct result of FDV go unreported. FDV is a national crisis in Australia, and we need change to create more safety for women so they can not only survive but thrive in our homes, communities, and workplaces.
There is a real opportunity for organisations to play a key role in supporting employees experiencing FDV, with the goal of preventing FDV and all forms of violence and abuse. One organisation that is a model employer and leading the way in how it responds to FDV is Medibank. We spoke with Karen Oldaker, Senior Executive for Wellbeing and Shared Value of Medibank who has been instrumental in leading and implementing change, about how the organisation supports employees experiencing FDV. Karen shares advice for employers who might be looking to strengthen the approach they take to FDV support.
What support does Medibank provide to employees experiencing FDV?
Medibank was one of the first organisations to introduce uncapped family and domestic violence leave, in 2017, well before the most recent legislative changes came into play that require employers to provide a minimum of 10 paid days leave under the National Employment Standards in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
“Providing this uncapped leave really changed everything for us, we started to have a situation where employees started to come forward and disclose their experiences with FDV in a way that they had not done so previously. Key to our approach was co-design, this meant that we spoke directly with people with lived experience of FDV including our own employees. When we first launched our FDV policy, there were a lot of things at the time that we thought we knew – but we simply didn’t. We learnt a lot about how people experience FDV, particularly from our employees”, explained Karen Oldaker, Senior Executive for Wellbeing and Shared Value at Medibank.
Medibank additionally provides employees access to a personal alarm service, an app-based lone worker safety solution, purpose-built to support at-risk employees.
Why is it important to Medibank to support employees experiencing FDV?
The Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Act 2023, effective from 15 December 2023 introduces a new discrimination protection that makes it unlawful for an employer to take adverse action against an employee experiencing FDV. This means that an employer is prohibited from taking adverse action against an employee (ie: dismissal) because they are experiencing FDV. The intention of these changes is to reduce the stigma that can be associated with employees experiencing FDV and to place responsibility on employers to take more proactive action in the support they provide.
“I believe that corporate Australia has a responsibility to support their people beyond their workplace obligations and create change for FDV, we shouldn’t wait for the Government to tell us what to do. I am optimistic about the future and the change I am seeing more broadly in how women are supported in the workplace. There is an opportunity to listen so we can understand more about the complexity of FDV and do more upfront”, says Karen.
“Medibank is a health company; we care about our people and want to raise and empower women not only in our workplace, but to also take actions that lead to broader societal change to improve outcomes for women. Around 70% of our workforce are women, so having strong policies on how we respond to FDV is important, knowing that FDV disproportionally impacts women”, says Karen.
How do you build in sensitivity and privacy safeguards?
“We have some People & Culture (P&C) Business Partners who are trained specifically in FDV support. They are the specialists in the area if people leaders require additional support. Our P&C Business Partners will normally enter in leave for FDV, so the employee impacted doesn’t have to do it. The leave category is ‘special leave’ so it is not identifiable. The focus is always on protecting the employee and being careful. We develop a safety plan, that is all about aiming to create a safe space for the impacted employee. No two employee experiences of FDV will be the same, so we very much approach these matters with sensitivity, and on a case-by-case basis”, says Karen.
How do you ensure your leaders have the confidence to support employees experiencing FDV?
“We equip our leaders with the skills to ask employees if they have concerns. We have a comprehensive people leader guide. Our people leader guide is regularly updated, if for example something happens that triggers a need for change – any changes made take a trauma informed perspective. Our guidance focuses on leaders recognising and being aware of ‘who’ might be on the other side of a text or email, for example it may be the perpetrator, so we encourage them to be careful with communications. Our resources also help our leaders to understand that FDV might not always be bruises (ie: physical), that it can show up in many ways.
What advice would you have for other employers, who might be considering strengthening the approach they take in supporting employees experiencing FDV?
“Co-design and lived experience are incredibly important in informing the approach you will take. Bring internal and external voices into the picture, even for example if it is in a confidential way for internal voices. Reach out to other organisations, as many will share their resources on FDV with you – I would be really surprised if they didn’t share as we want more employers doing more in this space. Most importantly, don’t be afraid, it is always better to do something in comparison to nothing at all, of course within proper guidelines. Finally, if you are a service provider don’t miss the opportunity to think about what FDV experiences look like for your customers too, there can be shared opportunities to improve business processes to not only support your employees, but also your customers”.
More information and Resources
Do you need help supporting your response to Family and Domestic Violence in the workplace?
Here are some key resources:
1800RESPECT includes a resource that lists the range of services available such as financial, legal, housing and health services, based on the state or territory that applies: https://1800respect.org.au/services.
The Family Violence Law Help website is a resource that helps explain how the law applies to FDV in Australia: https://familyviolencelaw.gov.au/.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has developed a Guide: Small Business Employer Guide to Family and Domestic Violence that includes a number of practical tools, including guidance on creating Family and Domestic Violence Policy for your business.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has a dedicated website portal that includes useful statistics, information and resources to help educate on the impacts of FDV: https://www.aihw.gov.au/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/understanding-fdsv/key-findings
Contact us at hello@humanifyhr.com.au for more tailored HR guidance, training and support.
Please remember that if the employee is in immediate danger, the response should always be to call OOO.
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Disclaimer: The material contained in this article is provided as general information only. It is not, nor is intended to be legal advice. If you wish to take any action based on the content of this article, we recommend that you seek professional advice that considers your specific context, needs and requirements.