Violence and harassment in the workplace is a growing phenomenon. It has profound impacts on the physical and mental health of employees. It creates situations where employees can feel threatened, bullied, attacked, or assaulted at work. As an employer, you have a duty of care toward your employees.
During the pandemic, there was an increased risk of violence and harassment in workplaces, and exposure to violence was heightened in certain industries.
Overview
Like other systemic issues, there is a significant lack of data on violence and harassment in the workplace. Further, it is tricky to apply the data because different definitions and notions of these issues exist. Efforts are being made by organisations to create global standards and collect data across countries. A report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has found that more than one in five people in employment has experienced at least one form of violence and harassment at work. More than three out of five victims said they had experienced workplace violence and harassment multiple times. The ILO report is a scathing attack on the reality of violence and harassment in global workplaces. It investigates the nuanced layers of violence and harassment (physical, psychological, and sexual).
Globally, women were slightly more likely than men to have experienced violence and harassment in the workplace. Data also shows that high-income countries registered the highest prevalence and low and lower-middle-income countries had the lowest prevalence.
Lack of reporting
Despite employees saying they have experienced violence and harassment at work multiple times, there is a significant lack of reporting their experiences. Employers are unwitting accomplices to this culture of silence and shame. The culture is created by the lack of support systems for employees.
Why do employees refuse to report their experiences?
- They think it’s a waste of time to report their experience
- Have trouble understanding the unclear policies around harassment and violence
- Fear of the repercussions to their reputation
- Fear that they may damage their career prospects
- They genuinely don’t know how to report it
- They don’t understand what constitutes violence or harassment
Psychological violence
The issue is complicated by the layers of violence and harassment such as psychological and physical aspects. Psychological violence and harassment can include insults, threats, bullying, or intimidation. Globally, 583 million people in employment have experienced psychological violence and harassment at work.
These layers make it difficult to talk about violence and harassment. The normalization of certain styles of humour, cultural differences, and perception differences can prevent people from understanding this issue.