Domestic violence doesn’t stay at the front door. It follows victims to work, in the form of threatening phone calls, perpetrators appearing at workplaces, distracted performance, and in the worst cases, fatal incidents on employer premises. Yet the corporate sector’s response has largely been limited to HR policies and Employee Assistance Programmes. This presentation argues that corporate security has a critical, underutilised role to play.
Drawing on nearly two decades of security experience, including NZ Police Diplomatic Protection and the US Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, and a dedicated domestic violence risk programme delivered at Westpac New Zealand in partnership with Shine, this presentation examines how a structured security risk framework can complement existing health and social sector responses.
The Westpac/Shine programme provided confidential security risk assessments for employees experiencing domestic violence, identifying specific workplace vulnerabilities and implementing practical safety measures. This model demonstrated that employers who move beyond policy to active security engagement can meaningfully reduce risk for victims and that support agencies and corporate security professionals, working together, achieve more than either can alone.
This presentation will explore three interconnected themes: the legal and moral duty of care employers carry when domestic violence enters the workplace; the application of threat, vulnerability and consequence assessment to victim safety planning; and the practical lessons from building a cross-sector partnership between a major financial institution and a specialist DV agency.
Attendees will leave with a framework for advocating DV programmes within their own organisations, an understanding of how security risk methodology can strengthen safety planning, and a case for deeper collaboration between health, social and corporate sectors.