• From the outside, her life looked perfect but little did people realise that her company were taking her through the disciplinary process for her poor performance and attendance.

• She stayed off work when bruises were obvious and felt too ashamed and frightened to confide in friends or family.

• Going for a drink after work could mean a million questions about who she’d been with and where she’d been by her husband. There was always the uncertainty of receiving a beating when she got home.

• ‘I used to love Mondays, going to work, being Fiona, the person I really was and not a victim'.

• 'At work, I was respected but at home I was abused'.

• ‘At one point I was going to throw myself in front of a train but at the last moment I stopped and thought there must be more to life than this…’

In September 2020, Alpha Vesta launched their Survivors Symposium.

Alpha Vesta’s Survivors Symposium gives anybody an opportunity to share their lived experience and expertise around domestic abuse and how they may have found their employment impacted in some way. The Survivors Symposium is led by Fiona Bowman whose story you will hear at this event.

Those affected by domestic abuse, may have needed to leave their job, found their workplace supportive, not supportive or just couldn’t contemplate even attempting to try and work whilst coping with domestic abuse. You yourself, may have been affected or you may have been a work colleague or an employer who struggled to know what to do and how to help. You can share your experience by emailing us at survivors@alphavesta.com.

These experiences and stories go on to influence future training, awareness sessions and events for employers and those affected by domestic abuse in the workplace.