ALDI’s Family and Domestic Violence Policy

ALDI stands opposed to domestic violence in all of its forms and we acknowledge that as an employer we have a responsibility to help drive change. In March 2018, the Fair Work Commission handed down a decision which granted Australian workers covered by Awards five days of unpaid Domestic Violence leave. Upon the Fair Work Commission’s announcement of this additional leave, ALDI Australia took the opportunity to review our leave policies and introduce a new Domestic Violence policy for our employees that goes beyond the Fair Work Commission’s provisions.

We want to ensure that any ALDI employee who may be experiencing domestic violence has our full support. The recently introduced ALDI Family and Domestic Violence Policy outlines a number of measures designed to offer practical assistance to any employee in need. These include:

• Ten days of paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave annually for full-time and part-time employees (in addition to annual leave, sick/personal leave and compassionate leave entitlements). Casual employees may take 10 days of unpaid leave;
• A one-off payment of $250 for incidental expenses associated with Family and Domestic Violence;
• Assistance in accessing various support services, including access to our specially trained Family and Domestic Violence Supporters;
• Assistance in changing work location if requested and where possible; and
• Access to other leave entitlements such as annual leave, personal/carers’ leave, long service leave, other accrued time or leave without pay in accordance with policies relating to these types of leave in order to attend to matters arising from Family and Domestic Violence.

“We recognise that family and domestic violence affects thousands of Australian families, including some of our own employees.  Our new policy has been introduced to ensure that our valued workforce has easy access to support in situations where they are impacted by family and domestic violence.  Our goal is to provide a supportive workplace that promotes respect and the prevention of all forms of violence,” said Viktor Jakupec, Managing Director at ALDI Australia.

“Domestic violence is a crime which we all have a responsibility to challenge and change. ALDI is taking a very important leadership role by supporting employees experiencing family or domestic violence. Through their policy, ALDI are making a strong statement that they are here to help any employee experiencing this terrible crime. The options available as part of this policy are exemplary, assisting employees to access relevant support as they need it,” said Karen Willis, Executive Officer, Rape & Domestic Violence Services Australia*.

As an Employer of Choice, we are proud to be taking a stance on this important topic by providing our workforce of 12,000 employees access to this policy. Working conditions at ALDI are considered to be some of the best in the industry with employee benefits including salaries well above market rates, comprehensive training, an employee wellness program, and paid maternity leave.

*Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia provides 24/7 phone and online counselling for anyone – women and men – in Australia who has experienced or is at risk of sexual assault, family or domestic violence and their non-offending supporters.