Extra leave for DV victims

[little graham]

Does this include employees in mumbia and manilla?

 

[cartwright]

I have been a victim of domestic violence and random violence. Domestic violence affected me significantly more than being bashed by three guys. The injuries I received from the d/v were negligible, but to have the person I loved physically assault me, having to call the police and genuinely fearing for my safety in my own house was devastating.

Some people can't/won't understand that.

I'm sorry you experienced that

 

[little graham]

but to have the person I loved physically assault me, having to call the police and genuinely fearing for my safety in my own house was devastating.

Had to do the same thing. took Police 40 minutes, in that 40 minutes i got goaded that they won't do nothing, that she'll tell them you hit me and she was defending herself.

Police recognized she was irrational,aggressive and knew she had a record mile long but told me they would criticized if they removed her because she was a woman.They told me to leave my own house, late at night, to sleep in my car somewhere. They did tell her that if they get called back here they will report her to welfare. They were required to by law for the first call.

 

[clogged]

I have been a victim of domestic violence and random violence. Domestic violence affected me significantly more than being bashed by three guys. The injuries I received from the d/v were negligible, but to have the person I loved physically assault me, having to call the police and genuinely fearing for my safety in my own house was devastating.

But so is cancer as compared to the flu or losing a child compared to the passing away of a friend or ... these things don't get a special category of leave.

The reason for this leave isn't because of its effect on the individual. It is for a political outcome, or in this specific case, to engender corporate goodwill for the benefit of Telstra.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

Some people can't/won't understand that.

I'm sorry you experienced that

HEY, don't you white knight...erm..white maiden me, the maschonazis will be on to you.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Just heard a headline on Ch10 news that Telstra are introducing a new policy where Domestic Violence victims that are employees of Telstra will be given an extra 10 days of leave per year.

Does anyone have more details? Is it reliant on a conviction or only on an allegation?

Is it fair? Is it just like getting additional leave for bereavements or pregnancy?

Will it have any unintended consequences? E.g. false accusations to access the new benefits

Is it April 1 already??

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

But so is cancer as compared to the flu or losing a child compared to the passing away of a friend or ... these things don't get a special category of leave.

The reason for this leave isn't because of its effect on the individual. It is for a political outcome, or in this specific case, to engender corporate goodwill for the benefit of Telstra.

I think you will find that most enterprise agreements provide for bereavement leave for when an employee loses a family member, 99 per cent sure it is in the NES. Don't know of any that provide for special leave for losing a friend. A lot certainly contain provisions for special leave that can be requested in the event of contracting an illness like cancer, so I am not sure what your point is?

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

make that 100 per cent sure it is in the NES

Compassionate leave
All employees (including casual employees) are entitled to compassionate leave (also known as bereavement leave).
Compassionate leave can be taken when a member of an employee's immediate family or household:

• dies or
• suffers a life-threatening illness or injury.

Immediate family is an employee's:

• spouse
• de facto partner
• child
• parent
• grandparent
• grandchild
• sibling, or a
• child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling of the employee's spouse or de facto partner.

Employees will be able to take compassionate leave for other relatives (eg. cousins, aunts and uncles) if they are a member of the employee's household, or if the employer agrees to this.
Amount of compassionate leave
All employees are entitled to 2 days compassionate leave each time an immediate family or household member dies or suffers a life threatening illness or injury.
The compassionate leave can be taken as:

• a single continuous 2 day period, or
• 2 separate periods of 1 day each, or
• any separate periods the employee and the employer agree.

An employee does not accumulate compassionate leave. It can be taken any time an employee needs it.
If an employee is already on another type of leave (eg. annual leave) and needs to take compassionate leave, the employee can use compassionate leave instead of the other leave.
Payment for compassionate leave
Full-time and part-time employees receive paid compassionate leave and casual employees receive unpaid compassionate leave.
Full-time and part-time employees are paid at their base pay rate for the ordinary hours they would have worked during the leave.
This doesn't include separate entitlements such as incentive-based payments and bonuses, loadings, monetary allowances, overtime or penalty rates.
Compassionate leave can't be cashed out.
Notice and evidence
An employee taking compassionate leave must give their employer notice as soon as they can (this may be after the leave has started). The employee must tell the employer of the period, or expected period, of the leave.
An employer can request evidence about the reason for compassionate leave (eg. a death or funeral notice or statutory declaration). This request for evidence has to be reasonable. If the employee doesn't provide the requested notice or evidence they may not get compassionate leave.
An award or registered agreement can include terms about the kind of evidence that an employee must provide to get compassionate leave.
Source reference: Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) sections 12 and 104-106

 

[clogged]

I think you will find that most enterprise agreements provide for bereavement leave for when an employee loses a family member, 99 per cent sure it is in the NES. Don't know of any that provide for special leave for losing a friend. A lot certainly contain provisions for special leave that can be requested in the event of contracting an illness like cancer, so I am not sure what your point is?

Point is there are degrees. A grandparent or aunt is not as devastating as a child. I know someone who took the day off for a mate dying and their manager let them. People will struggle to say no.

There are some things in life which are unavoidable. Domestic violence isn't one of those things, and its not something you tackle via workplace entitlements.

This may play a part: Two out of three women who report violence by a current partner are in paid employment and violence against women and children costs the economy $13.6 billion a year.

http://www.afr.com/p/national/telstra_offers_domestic_violence_IJ2kVTtJIzp3TRMs2Z1d9I

These stats are always rubbish - I'd wager that if you added up all the studies that found the cost bad things do to an economy, we'd be 10 times richer if they didn't exist. It's economic fantasy.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

These stats are always rubbish - I'd wager that if you added up all the studies that found the cost bad things do to an economy, we'd be 10 times richer if they didn't exist. It's economic fantasy.

I would back Access Economics on this.

 

[Slippery Pete]

I wonder if any of this policy breaches the anti-discrimination or equal employment opportunity acts?

 

[clogged]

I would back Access Economics on this.

I wouldn't. These economic studies routinely fudge the numbers.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

I wouldn't. These economic studies routinely fudge the numbers.

Okay, you know better than them, play on.

 

[boytroy]

Okay, you know better than them, play on.

If you don't think economic studies can be manipulated then you have rocks in your head.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

If you don't think economic studies can be manipulated then you have rocks in your head.

Your spelling has improved, well done.

 

[checkraiseulite]

If anyone is genuinely interested in understanding why there is a move from employers to include domestic violence leave clauses in enterprise agreements, I would recommend reading the Access Economics report which can be found here https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/defaul...2012/cost_of_dv_to_australian_economy_i_1.pdf

Those that froth at the mouth in a tesseract like manner, 'play on'.

i'm neither here nor there on the policy - but how does the inclusion of dv leave serve to reduce the costs identified in the ae report which i admit i have not read?

isn't this exacerbating the dv associated cost and also opening it up to be blown out by people manipulating the system?

 

[evo]

These stats are always rubbish - I'd wager that if you added up all the studies that found the cost bad things do to an economy, we'd be 10 times richer if they didn't exist. It's economic fantasy.

I was thinking that sounded like a bullshit stat if I ever seen one.

 

[telsor]

I have been a victim of domestic violence and random violence. Domestic violence affected me significantly more than being bashed by three guys. The injuries I received from the d/v were negligible, but to have the person I loved physically assault me, having to call the police and genuinely fearing for my safety in my own house was devastating.

Been there...

Although I've been told on these boards that because my GF of the time didn't hit me *that* hard (I think I described it each blow as painful but unlikely to seriously injure), that it was a non-event and didn't count (although in context, the comment was more due to it being female on male DV). It was the emotional side of things that got to me though, and in the end, caused the end of our relationship, because even though she stopped (after I told her that if she did it again, I'd hit her back), I was constantly self-censoring myself, afraid that I might say something that would send her into another of her rages.

 

[romeoh]

Point is there are degrees. A grandparent or aunt is not as devastating as a child. I know someone who took the day off for a mate dying and their manager let them. People will struggle to say no.

There are some things in life which are unavoidable. Domestic violence isn't one of those things, and its not something you tackle via workplace entitlements.


These stats are always rubbish - I'd wager that if you added up all the studies that found the cost bad things do to an economy, we'd be 10 times richer if they didn't exist. It's economic fantasy.

Why not? If the situation requires a person(of either gender, although old Lester's numbers above suggest more women are likely to be DV victims) to attend medical appointments and counseling etc, it seems to be a supportive and reasonable thing for an employer to do. And yep, should be the case for other situations too, although one would expect that victims of 'general assault' etc are already given as much leave as they require for counseling, legal appointments. It won't stop the incidents occurring but helps in the aftermath and surely that is a good thing.

 

[clogged]

Why not? If the situation requires a person(of either gender, although old Lester's numbers above suggest more women are likely to be DV victims) to attend medical appointments and counseling etc, it seems to be a supportive and reasonable thing for an employer to do. And yep, should be the case for other situations too, although one would expect that victims of 'general assault' etc are already given as much leave as they require for counseling, legal appointments. It won't stop the incidents occurring but helps in the aftermath and surely that is a good thing.

Why?

Why not rape leave?

 

[cartwright]

Why?

Why not rape leave?

yeah. Employees are going to go to their boss and say I need to take leave for rape. I bet you that this is not going to be taken up, And if it is so what? The day I am thinking someone is getting a better benefit than me because they need to take leave due to domestic violence,.... well that's a pretty self absorbed position to take.

 

[clogged]

yeah. Employees are going to go to their boss and say I need to take leave for rape. I bet you that this is not going to be taken up, And if it is so what? The day I am thinking someone is getting a better benefit than me because they need to take leave due to domestic violence,.... well that's a pretty self absorbed position to take.

Do you really believe that horrible things that society should aim to remove be enshrined as workplace entitlements?

 

[Lester Burnham]

I wouldn't. These economic studies routinely fudge the numbers.

I had a look through it. They put a dollar value on 'pain and suffering'.

 

[Lester Burnham]

Why not? If the situation requires a person(of either gender, although old Lester's numbers above suggest more women are likely to be DV victims) to attend medical appointments and counseling etc, it seems to be a supportive and reasonable thing for an employer to do. And yep, should be the case for other situations too, although one would expect that victims of 'general assault' etc are already given as much leave as they require for counseling, legal appointments. It won't stop the incidents occurring but helps in the aftermath and surely that is a good thing.

That's a baseless assumption.

The stats I quoted show that non-domestic violence is about five times as prevalent as DV yet there is no special leave provisions for it being advocated.

There's a long list of social problems that impact employee's ability to be productive at work. It's discriminatory to pick out one of them for extra leave and not others.

 

[cartwright]

Do you really believe that horrible things that society should aim to remove be enshrined as workplace entitlements?

Not necessarily, however there are workplace entitlements that some people will never have access to.

Parental leave, carer leave, flexible working hours (mostly afforded to working parents). Whatever. If a company wants to include it, have at it.
If it helps a person leave an abusive relationship, helps them with time for counselling, (often sessions only available during working hours), encourages people to get help, get their issue to court...