Why Trauma- and Violence-Informed Practice Matters at Work: Introducing a New Free Workplace Self-Assessment
- Rika Sawatsky
- Jan 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 20
I'm noticing an important and heartening shift as of late: more employers have been asking, "What does it actually look like to respond well when violence follows someone to work?"
Last week, I shared a free self-assessment focused on how intimate partner violence (IPV) engages core employment law obligations, including employment standards, occupational health and safety, human rights, privacy, and child protection. That tool was designed to help organizations understand where legal duties arise and how IPV shows up as a workplace issue, not just a personal one.
This week’s resource builds on that foundation.
From “Trauma-Informed” to "Trauma- and Violence-Informed"
If you joined me in December for my webinar, "Designing Trauma- and Violence-Informed Policies, Training, and Response Plans to Address IPV at Work", sponsored by the Learning Network and the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children at Western University, you may recall a key theme: the healthcare sector is leading a shift away from “trauma-informed” care toward trauma- and violence-informed (TVI) care.
That shift matters in workplaces, too.
A trauma- and violence-informed approach recognizes that:
harm is often ongoing, not historical;
violence is shaped by power, identity, and structural barriers; and
the way an organization responds can either reduce risk — or unintentionally escalate it.
TVI practice isn’t about lowering standards, replacing evidence with empathy, or becoming a social service provider. It’s about how decisions are made, how choices are offered, and how people are treated in moments that matter.
When applied well, TVI approaches improve:
safety and trust,
the quality of information and evidence,
consistency and fairness in decision-making, and
legal defensibility.
A New Free Tool: TVI Workplace Self-Assessment
To support that work, I’ve released a new Trauma- & Violence-Informed Workplace Self-Assessment.
This tool is designed to help employers reflect on whether TVI principles are actually showing up in day-to-day practice, not just in values statements or policies.
The assessment focuses on four core areas:
Understanding violence, including non-physical and structural forms;
Creating cultural safety, so employees can realistically seek help;
Co-creating real, accessible choices, rather than offering solutions that look good on paper but don’t work in practice; and
Providing strengths-based support, without stigma, charity, or blame.
It’s practical, non-judgmental, and grounded in real workplace scenarios. Like the legal self-assessment, it’s meant to be used as a reflection tool — individually or with leadership, HR, legal, or health and safety teams.
How These Resources Fit Together
These tools are intentionally designed to work as a set:
Part 1: Legal Obligations & IPV Self-AssessmentClarifies how IPV triggers employment law duties and legal decision-making.
Part 2: TVI Workplace Self-AssessmentExamines how those duties are carried out in practice, and whether responses build safety, trust, and clarity.
Coming Next: A 90-Day Roadmap for Building or Strengthening a Workplace IPV ProgramA practical guide to moving from awareness into implementation.
Together, they are meant to support thoughtful, legally grounded, and humane workplace responses, without requiring perfection, unlimited resources, or expert status.
Download the TVI Workplace Self-Assessment
(Updated January 20, 2026)
The TVI Workplace Self-Assessment is part of the full Workplace Domestic Violence Readiness Package, which you can download here:
You’re welcome to share this resource internally or with professional peers. Please keep it intact and credited to Clausework.
For some organizations, self-assessment and public resources are sufficient starting points. For others, particularly where risk is higher or leadership wants greater confidence, it may be appropriate to seek legal guidance tailored to your specific context.
If you have questions about how employment law intersects with IPV in your workplace, or about building approaches that are legally grounded and operationally realistic, I’d be glad to connect.
