Write your domestic violence policy with the goal of creating cultural safety

Day 2 of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

Today is Day 2 of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

As part of this campaign, I’m sharing 16 practical steps in 16 days to help employers build or strengthen their workplace domestic and intimate partner violence (IPV) response programs.

If you missed Day 1 — which explains why the very first step is forming a multidisciplinary implementation and response team — you can read it here.

With leadership alignment and a response team in place, the next foundational step is ensuring you have a domestic violence policy employees can trust.

When Policies Check a Box Instead of Changing Culture

Legislation requires employers to have workplace violence policies, but many policies:

• Don’t mention domestic or intimate partner violence at all

• Include only a single sentence referencing the legal definition or related provision

• Focus on compliance rather than actual support

• Fail to explain what employees can expect if they disclose abuse

Policies built like this don’t create cultural safety—they create silence.

A recent joint report from the National Domestic Violence Hotline and Futures Without Violence found 65–70% of survivors experienced negative outcomes after disclosure —with disproportionately harmful outcomes reported by Black and Latinx survivors.

So, understandably, survivors don't want to come forward.

That is the barrier your policy must intentionally dismantle.

A Strong IPV Policy Signals Cultural Safety

A meaningful IPV policy does more than outline rules. It communicates to employees:

• You understand IPV is complex and common

• The workplace is a safe place to ask for help

• Coming forward won’t be met with judgment or punishment

• Substance use, trauma symptoms, mental health, or accommodation needs will not invalidate their experience and will be accommodated as intersecting (rather than siloed) issues

• Survivors have agency — their voice guides decisions

Above all, a survivor can read it and think:

“If I share this, I’ll be supported — not penalized.”

That belief is what shifts disclosure from rare to possible.

Templates Are a Starting Point — Not a Finished Policy

An excellent free template policy is available at dvatwork.ca, developed by the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children at Western University.

But no template can:

• Reflect the unique structure of your organization

• Align reporting pathways

• Account for jurisdiction-specific legislative requirements

• Match your security systems, accommodation processes, or escalation protocols

Those operational details — the how — are often where trust is built or broken.

A trauma- and violence-informed policy must be customized to your workplace and legal context.

If You’re Building This Work, You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

I’m an employment lawyer focused on helping employers take meaningful action on domestic and intimate partner violence in the workplace.

There are excellent free resources available — including templates at dvatwork.ca — and for organizations ready to implement or scale an IPV strategy, I also offer consulting and implementation support.

If you're not sure where to begin, reach out.

The right policy can be more than compliance — it can be a lifeline.