AIB is to offer staff who have suffered domestic violence or abuse 10 days of paid leave per year while making the bank’s security services available to affected employees.
In line with its commitment to provide a more supportive workplace, the bank said it was extending its practical supports for domestic abuse victims.
As well as the paid leave, the bank said it would now offer affected employees five days’ paid emergency hotel accommodation; security assistance to ensure their personal safety on the way to, from and at work; counselling services; and the option of a salary advance to assist financially where required.
“Colleagues can also avail of in-house vulnerable customer supports to help ensure their financial independence,” the lender said.
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AIB chief people officer Geraldine Casey said the bank’s policy had been informed by the experience of a staff member who was a victim of domestic violence and who was “now working to improve supports for vulnerable customers”.
“As one of Ireland’s largest employers, we want to show our commitment to stand with colleagues experiencing domestic violence and to ensure that we are creating a culture that keeps the wellbeing of our people to the forefront,” she said, noting the bank was committed to playing its part in supporting colleagues and customers impacted “by this sensitive societal issue”.
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Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman praised the bank’s move. “The Government has made tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence a priority, and last month the Oireachtas passed the Work-Life Balance Act, which will provide statutory entitlement to paid domestic violence leave,” he said.
“We know that the response to domestic violence needs to be an all-of-society approach and that is why it is so encouraging to see large employers like AIB taking the initiative and providing such strong support to their employees,” Mr O’Gorman said.
AIB said its expanding range of policies for its 9,590-strong workforce also include several enhancements to its family leave offering over the past year to improve work-life balance for working parents.
These include seven weeks’ fully paid parents’ leave, 10 days fertility leave per year for employees undergoing treatment and two days for colleagues whose partners are having treatment, surrogacy leave and compassionate leave for colleagues who experience loss of pregnancy at any stage, regardless of whether it occurs to them, their partner or a surrogate, it said.
