These damaging behaviours include phoning and texting partners repeatedly during working hours, sending streams of emails, turning up to workplaces, damaging workplace property so the victim-survivor can't complete their work, hiding keys and access cards, slashing tyres or hiding train cards so it's not possible for victims to get to work.

One in five victim-survivors work alongside their abuser. In the majority of cases, abusers held a position of workplace power over their victims in the workplace.

One in four of those surveyed said their ability to do their job was impacted by domestic and family violence and subsequently that affected both career progression and opportunities. Survivors found it hard to concentrate, found their productivity was affected and they struggled to enjoy their jobs.

Lawyer Amy Begley, who heads the family violence team at ACT Legal Aid, said she has seen instances where men have shown up to women's workplaces, even in cases where there is a family violence order in place. She said courts try to minimise restrictions on personal rights and liberties but on occasion, the workplace will need to be named on the family violence order to limit the disruption to the survivor's work.

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The team has had clients who feel they cannot disclose their experiences to their employers or who fear they will be judged for accessing family violence leave.

"Some clients have had to take a lower paying role to enable them to access more flexible work conditions so that they can care for children, particularly after separation, when they take on the full-time caring responsibilities for young children," Begley said.

Barb Gillies, co-ordinator of Louisa, a domestic violence service in Queanbeyan, said the men try to disrupt the workplace, threaten to take the car or the children.

"The women then try to defuse the situation and to placate the abusers but are ashamed and embarrassed because of the disruption to work. It is yet another power and control ploy but this time it is overt and not behind closed doors," Gillies said.

Kate Fitz-Gibbon, director at the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre which published the report, said the majority of respondents did not disclose their experience of domestic violence to anyone at work.

"Paid domestic violence leave is one of a suite of workplace supports we urgently need to support the safety and recovery needs of victim-survivors," she said.

The federal government promised to legislate the right to 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave as part of the National Employment Standards.

The report said Australian workplaces should have a domestic and family violence policy and a better understanding of the impact of domestic and family violence can have on employees.