– By Sarah Brown, Founder and CEO of We Thrive Consulting
I founded We Thrive Consulting because of a simple but urgent truth: domestic abuse does not stop at the workplace door.
It follows people into meetings, inboxes, and performance reviews. It affects attendance, confidence, financial stability, and long-term career progression. Yet for many employers, it still sits uncomfortably outside organisational responsibility and is seen as a private issue rather than a structural one with real business and human impact. But the cost is not only to the individual – it can also affect team cohesion, productivity, and organisational culture.
For a victim-survivor of domestic abuse, work may be much more than “just a 9-5”. For many, it can become a lifeline, offering independence, routine, safety, and dignity. Despite this, it’s often one of the first things many victim-survivors lose, whether that’s through coercive control, isolation, or reputational harm inflicted by the perpetrator.
For victim-survivors who attempt to return to work after an absence caused by domestic abuse, re-entering the workforce can be challenging. Post-separation and economic abuse can present as sabotaging and destabilising someone’s ability to attend work, such as unplanned changes to childcare arrangements, repeated vexatious legal abuse, stalking, andonline tech abuse. Without the right support, victim-survivors can unintentionally be pushed out of the workforce altogether.
Employers have a crucial role to play in supporting victim-survivors back to work and helping them stay in work to maintain their financial independence and recovery after abuse. These practical steps can make a real difference:
Embed trauma-informed policies
The key principles of trauma informed organisational practice are:
- Safety – putting policies, practice, and safeguarding arrangements in place.
- Trust – transparency in an organisation’s values, policies, and procedures.
- Choice – supporting individuals in shared decision-making and goal setting.
- Collaboration – valuing of lived experience.
- Empowerment – efforts made to give survivors a strong voice.
- Cultural consideration – moving past cultural stereotypes and biases by incorporating policies and procedures that are responsive to individual needs.
Creating a workplace environment where victim-survivors thrive
Policies only work when they are lived. Organisations should ensure domestic abuse policies go beyond compliance to create a culture of openness and trust, management responses, and safeguarding processes. Managers need guidance to recognise risk and respond appropriately.
Invest in training and awareness. Line managers are often the first point of disclosure, yet many feel unprepared to handle conversations about such a sensitive topic. Trauma-informed training equips managers with understanding and confidence, ensuring survivors are met with support rather than judgement. This can have a significant impact on whether they are able to access the support they need.
Rethink recruitment and return-to-work pathways. Gaps in CVs or career breaks should not automatically exclude talent. Inclusive recruitment practices, mentorship, and supported return-to-work programmes can unlock highly skilled and resilient candidates while restoring victim-survivors’ independence and confidence.
How We Thrive supports victim-survivors back into work
As the founder and CEO of We Thrive Consulting, I understand the personal and professional challenges that come with rebuilding a career after experiencing domestic abuse. Now trained in trauma-informed practices, I am committed to mentoring and coaching victim-survivors back into meaningful employment. These individuals bring with them resilience, loyalty, adaptability, and a unique perspective that enriches any workplace.
Ultimately, addressing domestic abuse at work is about leadership, and employers who recognise their responsibility, act with care, and put victim-survivors at the centre to create safer, stronger, and more human workplaces will be rewarded with thriving and successful workplaces.
We Thrive Consulting supports organisations to build trauma-informed policies, deliver training and awareness, and create pathways for victim-survivors to return to work, to ensure that victim-survivors can rebuild their lives while organisations also benefit from skilled, resilient, and loyal talent.
“One of my best decisions in many years was contacting – and trusting – Sarah Brown. Through We Thrive, I’ve received regular career coaching, mentoring, job matching, introductions, and supportive check-ins from Sarah and the experts in her team. They’ve established a horizon of hope for me, tangible progress… and I feel far less alone. To any survivor reading this – keep going – and think about making contact with We Thrive.” – victim-survivor of domestic abuse and We Thrive programme participant
For employers wanting to play an active role in supporting survivors back into meaningful work, more information about our trauma-informed approach can be found at We Thrive’s website.
