Making the ethical case for effective domestic abuse policy and practice: the role of trade unions
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-05-2022-0214 |
| Published date | 27 December 2022 |
| Date | 27 December 2022 |
| Pages | 637-652 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
| Author | Tony Bennett,Gemma Wibberley |
Making the ethical case for
effective domestic abuse policy and
practice: the role of trade unions
Tony Bennett and Gemma Wibberley
iROWE (Institute for Research into Organisations, Work and Employment),
Lancashire School of Business and Enterprise,
University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), Preston, UK
Abstract
Purpose –This paper focusses on the role of trade unions in policy and practice designed to address the
workplace impact of domestic abuse. The paper aims to examine this union remit through the lens of corporate
social responsibility (CSR).
Design/methodology/approach –In-depth interviews were conducted with 39 union representatives in a
region of England to capture their views on and experiences of supporting members experiencing domestic abuse.
Findings –Thereis a clear ethical modelby which the unionsmight articulatethe key moral, legal andbusiness
drivers in determining effective domestic abusepolicy and practice. Furthermore, the degreeof “proximity”,in
terms of union deliberation with employers and pa rticularly joint action following disclosure, suggests tha t unions
couldplayakeypartinachieving“substantive”domesticabuse policy and practicewithin organisations.
Originality/value–Despite unions’capacity to offer significant support to employers and employees, the role
of unions in addressing the workplace impact of domestic abuse is under-researched. With reference to the
concept of CSR, the article adds to the knowledge of how to address the workplace impact of domestic abuse.
Keywords Trade unions, Domestic abuse, Corporate social responsibility, HR policies, People management,
Employee well-being
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Domestic abuse research in several countries has highlighted its direct impact on employees’
productivity, attendance and employment prospects (Bell et al., 2002;de Jonge, 2018).
MacQuarrie et al. (2019) provide a useful summary of international efforts generally with
respect to better addressing the impact of domestic abuse in the workplace, including the role
of the International Labour Organization (ILO). However, with a few exceptions (Macgregor
et al., 2016,2017,2022;Wathen et al., 2018), there has been limited academic research that
recognises the role of trade unions in addressing the workplace impact of domestic abuse.
Conversely, the ethical role of unions in influencing corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an
area of growing interest within the literature (Harvey et al., 2017;Goerke, 2022). Given that the
“essence”of trade unionism is to represent, provide advice and lobby for their members, very
often in terms of their mental, physical and emotional well-being (Hodder and Edwards, 2015),
the aim of this paper is to explore the role of trade unions in potentially making the ethical
case for effective domestic abuse policy and practice. For these reasons, it is argued that trade
Effective
domestic abuse
policy and
practice
637
The authors would like to thank all participants and the TUC for the co-operation with t he research study.
Dr Carol Jones was integral in the research design, development and process but left before the paper was
developed.The authors would also like tothank the reviewers and editorfor the support with this paper.
Funding: Theproject was conductedwith the kind supportof the TUC and funded by HigherEducation
IndustryFunding (HEIF); Lancashire Schoolof Business and Enterprise,University of CentralLancashire
(UCLan) and Sheffield Business School, Sheff ield Hallam University.
Conflict of interest: The authors haveno conflicts of interest.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0142-5455.htm
Received 3 May 2022
Revised 13 October 2022
2 December 2022
Accepted 2 December 2022
Employee Relations: The
International Journal
Vol. 45 No. 3, 2023
pp. 637-652
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-05-2022-0214
unions, working with employers, play a key role in making the workplace a potential source
of valuable support for employees who are experiencing abuse (Reeves and O’Leary-Kelly,
2009;Wilcox et al., 2020). For instance, as highlighted by MacGregor et al. (2022), working
with management, trade unions can assist those employees affected to access confidential
counselling. To give context to the discussion, the United Nations (2020) recently referred to
the global rise in domestic abuse during COVID-19, with reduced access to support or to
escape perpetrators, as the “shadow pandemic”. Crucially, even before COVID-19 in the UK,
28.9% of women and 13.2% of men had experienced some form of domestic abuse since the
age of 16 (ONS, 2018).
The articleis structuredas follows. A criticalreview is presented of the relevant literatureon
CSR and the role of the unions in promulgating its core objectives. The workplace impact of
domestic abuse is then considered. The methodology for the research follows, outlining the
nature of the methods chosen to investigate the research question under consideration.
The articleturns subsequently to a discussion of the research findings. It closes with a critical
reflectionon the implicationsof the findings in termsof a better conceptualunderstanding and
the practical actions that can be taken to operationalise an effective strategy. Furthermore, it
critically assesses the key role that trade unions play in that process.
Literature review
CSR and the role of the unions
Freeman and Hasnaoui (2011), through their extensive review of the “many meanings of
CSR”, rightly note its complexity. CSR can be seen both as a theoretical construct but also a
very practical means by which organisations can engage more ethically and, therefore,
effectively with communities and society (McWilliams et al., 2006). It has been also argued
that CSR is a potential vehicle for achieving greater equality and well-being in society and in
the workplace (Grosser and Moon, 2019). Nonetheless, the traditional focus of CSR initiatives
for organisations has been on how effective they are in terms of the business case for
delivering in the interests of shareholders as the dominant stakeholders in the organisation
(Crane et al., 2019).
The conceptualisation of CSR by Archie Carroll continues to be particularly influential as
a working definition. His seminal model (1998,2016) highlights for him the four key
dimensions of CSR: economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic. The dimensions are
non-hierarchical and mutually supportive. The “economic”dimension represents the cost
benefits case for CSR and the “legal”dimension captures the social “codified ethics”(Carroll,
1998, p. 2) of corporate behaviour. The “ethical”element of the model sets out what is expected
by the firm’s stakeholders from a moral perspective. These, for instance, might be in terms of
climate awareness or social citizenship. Finally, the fourth level relates to CSR’s more
philanthropic contributions, that go beyond the other three in relation to an organisation’s
relationship with, and broader responsibilities to, society.
Focussing specifically on domestic abuse, Larrieta-Rubin de Celis et al. (2017) emphasise
the need for CSR to fully embrace the occupational health and safety needs of women as a key
stakeholder. Katz et al. (2017) also advocate that the impact of domestic abuse can be
addressed through the utilisation of CSR as a map for action.
Crucially, from Flanders’“sword of justice”(1970)toHodder and Edwards (2015) model of
the “essence”of trade unionism, the ethical function of the union has been well articulated.
This is particularly so in terms of their traditional role “to defend the interests of the employee
stakeholder”(Preuss et al., 2015, p. 1). Framed within a discussion on the politics of CSR and
the respective power of different key stakeholders (Frynas and Stephens, 2015), writers
globally have increasingly recognised the specific role of unions in helping determine
businesses’CSR strategy (Dawkins, 2010).
ER
45,3
638
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