SWINDON businesses have been learning how they can help employees who fall victim to domestic violence.

Delegates at the Domestic Violence And Work Don't Mix seminar, heard that em-ployees who suffer physical violence cost Swindon busi-ness more than £5 million a year in lost hours.

Organised by the Swindon Domestic Violence Forum, the seminar was set up to help employees identify staff with problems and offer them support before absence becomes a problem.

Among those hoping to learn how to identify and help victims among their staff was Helen Cameron, human resources manager at Fish Brothers.

She said: "We are a small family business and like to think that we treat our staff like family too.

"Up until now, if a staff member told me they had suffered domestic violence, my first instinct would have been to advise them to consult a solicitor.

"But after today, I hope to have a better knowledge of what services are available for victims in Swindon and what we can do as a busi-ness to protect our workforce for the future."