Your role as a People Leader

As a People Leader, you play a critical role in supporting the psychological wellbeing of your team. It is important to create a psychologically safe work environment where employees feel comfortable seeking your support if they are experiencing domestic or family violence or abuse.

It is important that you familiarise yourself with the Australia Post Group Domestic & Family Violence Policy (DFV Policy).

If an employee discloses to you that they are experiencing domestic or family violence or abuse, you should make sure you treat the disclosure confidentially, and only use the information for the purpose of providing support to the employee. Respecting confidentiality may be critical to the safety of the employee or their family.

Managing issues of domestic or family violence or abuse can be extremely challenging, and you should refer to the ‘Supportng a team member’ section below to understand the range of support options available to assist you.

Supporting a team member

If a team member seeks your support regarding a domestic abuse and/or family violence issue:

  1. Consult the Manager support guide. This resource provides information on how to support an employee who may be involved in a domestic abuse and/or family violence situation.
  2. Provide the employee with access to the DFV Policy and assist them to access and understand the range of entitlements and internal/ external support services that are available to them, including, for example:
    • Accessing to up to 20 days paid domestic and family violence leave
    • Exploring flexible working arrangements and/or workplace safety plans to accommodate the employee’s specific circumstances
  3. Contact  the People Services team via the People Services Portal for further information or advice around leave entitlements for employees and support in managing the situation. People Services will work closely with you and the team member to come up with a with a Workplace Safety Plan to address the employee’s specific circumstances.
  4. Encourage your employee to seek support by referring them to the EAP Domestic Abuse and/or Family Violence Helpline, or any other suitable external support agency. You can find a list of available support services in the DFV Guidelines.