Teach your workers how to check in on each other with bystander training.
- Rika Sawatsky
- Nov 28
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 3
Day 4 of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
Today is Day 4 of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, and the fourth post in my series 16 tips in 16 days to get your domestic violence program off the ground.
If you missed previous tips, you can go back to Day 1 here.
Your Colleagues Often Know Something Is Wrong — Long Before HR Does
Many employees see the early signs of intimate partner violence play out at work — even when they don't recognize them as such.
Common examples include:
Harassing or repeated phone calls
A partner showing up unannounced
Sudden or repeated unexplained absences
Dramatic changes in performance
Covering injuries with clothing in warm weather
Staying excessively late at the office
Signs of fear, stress, or hypervigilance
Substance use or withdrawal behavior
For coworkers, these moments are often followed by an internal debate:
"It’s not my business.”“
What if I’m wrong?”
“I don’t want to embarrass them.”
And so — nothing happens.
Or, the coworker bypasses the person and goes straight to HR or management. This can:
Erode trust
Trigger fear or defensiveness
Shut down the possibility of disclosure
Make the workplace feel unsafe
Checking in shouldn’t feel invasive — it should feel human.
Bystander Training Isn't About Making You An Expert
Bystander training isn’t about diagnosing abuse.
It’s about creating connection and opening a safe door.
Two excellent free Canadian workplace tools — developed by the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children — operationalize this approach:
They teach a simple framework called the SNCit Method:
SEE the signs
NAME what you’ve noticed and your concerns
CHECK it by asking — see if there’s another explanation or whether support is needed
It sounds simple — and it is — but it’s also incredibly effective when paired with a trauma- and violence-informed approach.
Because sometimes the difference between silence and disclosure…
is one person saying:
“I’ve noticed you don’t seem like yourself lately — are you okay?”
A Workplace IPV Program Will Fail If Employees Aren’t Equipped to Act
Policies, posters, and leadership messaging are essential — but without practical skills for everyday human moments, the program breaks down.
A supportive workplace culture isn’t built in boardrooms.
It is built in hallways, in break rooms, in private conversations —one check-in at a time.
If You’re Ready to Start This Work, I Can Help
I’m an employment lawyer supporting organizations implementing domestic and intimate partner violence programs grounded in trauma- and violence-informed practice.
If your organization is ready to build a complete strategy with policy, training, and implementation support, I can help you do that. Please reach out.
Workplace safety is everyone’s role — and everyone can be trained to support it.
