What can I do as a manager?

As part of the work environment management tasks, there is a responsibility to be alert to the wellbeing of staff. As a manager, you should demonstrate compassion and talk to your staff if you become aware of signs of a member of staff experiencing violence in close relationships. You should therefore ask how your employee is feeling and how their work is going, as well as ask what support they need. Depending on the outcome of the conversation, action may need to be taken from a work environment perspective. This may include counselling, job modification or rehabilitation.

As a manager delegated work environment duties, you must ensure that your staff’s work environment is safe and secure, even if they work remotely or hybrid. Working from home poses a work environment risk for an employee who is the victim of violence in close relationships. Thus, as a manager, you will need closer contact with your staff, ask them questions and be alert to risks in their home work environment. If a safe work environment cannot be created in the employee's home, it is better if they work on site in their regular workplace. 

The occupational health service provides support to employees who have experienced any form of violence in close relationships. They, in turn, can help employees access further help and support.

Student victims

The Student Health Care provides support to students who have experienced any form of violence in close relationships. They, in turn, can help the student access further help and support.

Conversations where you as a manager can ask questions about violence

The performance review

The support material for performance reviews includes a few questions relating to experiences of threats and abuse. As the university is an integral part of society, we know that social problems can also arise among ourselves, which is why we ask questions that relate to discrimination and violence in close relationships. All employees are asked the same questions, meaning that nobody needs to feel singled out. The questions are: 

• Do you feel unsafe at home or at work in any way? (question taken from the Swedish Gender Equality Agency)
• Do you behave in a way that you have noticed negatively affects other people, either at home or in the workplace? (question taken from the Swedish Gender Equality Agency for determining whether a person is subjecting another to violence in close relationships)

The rehabilitation meeting

During the rehabilitation meeting, as a manager you will need to ask questions about the employee’s wellbeing. If there are signs to suggest ongoing abuse that is affecting an employee’s health, as a manager and out of concern, you should ask your employee questions about the issue.

Examples of questions include:

• How do you like it here at work? (The question can be based on issues such as high rates of absence or the employee avoiding joint activities)
• Are you able to achieve a work-life balance here?
• Do you feel safe, both here and at home?
• Have you ever been, or are you treated badly by somebody at work or at home?
• As your manager, can I support you in any way?

Well-being conversation

As a manager, if you are worried or suspect that your employee is the victim of abuse, you should – out of consideration – raise this issue with the person by holding a well-being conversation. 

You can use the work place dialogue question guide for your well-being conversation. The guide was created by Prevent in collaboration with Umeå University. You can access this guide on the pages for managers on the staff portal beneath the `well-being conversation’ heading.

Examples of questions in the guide include:

• What support do you receive from those close to you – how safe do you feel?
• Are there times when you feel afraid? At work? In other situations?

Link to the dialogue guide.

Link to more support material from the Swedish Gender Equality Agency