Violence at work is a huge problem with far-reaching implications, and incidence has risen in some sectors since the pandemic. How can organisations make their working environments safer for the workforce?
Abuse against retail workers doubled at the height of the first wave of the pandemic last year. Out of 2700 workers surveyed, almost 90% were verbally abused, 60% threatened with physical violence and 9% assaulted (Usdaw, 2021a). Preliminary results from the 2021 survey, carried out by UK retail union Usdaw, suggests those incidents of violence are climbing: 14% of retail workers had been assaulted in the past 12 months (Usdaw, 2021b).
Usdaw says that, although direct year-on-year comparisons of workplace violence are difficult because a different survey methodology was used as a result of the pandemic, these figures represent a marked increase from the year preceding the COVID-19 emergency. Moreover, reported abuse and assaults had already increased significantly between 2017 and 2019 (Usdaw, 2021a).
Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) back this up: 455 retail workers a day are being abused, a 7% increase on the year before (BRC, 2021a). ‘Since the pandemic, the rate of incidence has spiked, with the enforcement of COVID-19 safety measures becoming an additional pinch point. Other common triggers include age verification and confronting shoplifters,’ a BRC spokesperson has said.
Industry charity the Retail Trust says that 84% of retail staff have suffered a deterioration in their mental health during the pandemic, and reports a 164% rise in applications from its members for mental health support since the first lockdown (Retail Trust, 2021). ‘This is a significant and growing problem that has intensified existing pressures on retail workers and contributed to a surge in demand for the Retail Trust’s wellbeing services over the past 18 months,’ says the charity’s chief executive, Chris Brook-Carter.
Risky professions
Workplace violence is typically a greater risk in public-facing sectors. While 1.4% of working adults in the UK experience one or more violent incidents at work annually, the highest risk is in protective service professions such as policing, where 8.4% are assaulted while on the job. Health and social care associate professionals also have an elevated risk, at 3.9%, while the figure for health professionals is 3.3% (GB Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 2020).
Others in public-facing roles, such as education and those handling cash or doing deliveries, are also often disproportionately at risk, says Ruth Wilkinson, IOSH head of health and safety. ‘Public-facing workers have a higher potential for violence from strangers – around 60% of all reported violent incidents [HSE, 2020]
– while in 29% of incidents the offender is known to the victim through work,’ she adds.
But workplace violence does not appear to be rising across all sectors. ‘The estimated number of violent incidents at work fluctuates on an annual basis with no clear trend,’ the HSE states. Its latest available statistics, for 2019-20, show an estimated 688,000 incidents of violence at work (389,000 threats and 299,000 assaults), of which 38% resulted in injury, compared with 739,000 incidents in 2018-19 and 694,000 in 2017-18. ‘Although this may imply violence is decreasing in the UK, how we define and measure workplace violence is changing, and disguised verbal threats, or even online passive-aggressive behaviour, may also be violent in some contexts,’ says Rita Trehan, chief executive of consultancy DARE Worldwide.
Claire Saunders CFIOSH, a consultant specialising in the public sector and higher education, says the HSE figures suggest violence at work has remained ‘pretty steady’. ‘So maybe it’s a perception, or workers may rightly be becoming less willing to put up with aggressive behaviour and so are reporting it more. We all have different tolerances, behaviours and levels of expectation and when there is a mismatch it can lead to aggression. The pace of life and work/life balance demands placed on us all may contribute to us being less tolerant and, for some, less respectful,’ she adds.
Definitions of violence
The definition of workplace violence includes physical, sexual, psychological, verbal and written abuse (such as that on social media). The HSE defines work-related violence as: ‘Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.’
Dr Noreen Tehrani, a chartered occupational, health, counselling and trauma psychologist, says clarity on the kinds of violence people are experiencing at work is important. ‘There is physical and verbal violence, both of which can be damaging,’ she says. There is also bullying and harassment. She says that because many people have been working from home during lockdowns there has been less workplace violence. ‘However, domestic violence has increased,’ she adds. ‘There is a big need to understand why the violence is occurring and then look for solutions.’
Indeed, one UK domestic violence charity reported a 61% increase in calls to its helpline between April 2020 and February 2021 (Refuge, 2021).
Meanwhile, a report from the International Labour Organization (ILO, 2020) portrays the increase in violence and harassment against healthcare professionals during health crises as a result of ‘the higher mortality rates associated with epidemics, the distress coupled with uncertainty about symptoms, the unavailability of test kits and the absence of vaccines and treatments’.
The report adds: ‘Restrictive measures against citizens’ mobility, together with the shortage of necessary items, can result in a backlash against staff assigned to enforce these measures (police officers) or staff involved in the sale and transport of essential goods.’
Violent times: A global problem
Workplace violence is an issue that crosses cultures and continents. For example, research in May and June 2020 in the US found that 44.4% of nurses reported experiencing physical violence, while 67.8% reported verbal abuse (Byon et al, 2021). Other examples include Jordan, where 65.5% of healthcare workers reported exposure to workplace violence (Ghareeb et al, 2021). And 16.1% of healthcare professionals in China surveyed in March 2020 said they had experienced verbal violence, and 6.9% experienced physical violence (Yang et al, 2021).
In June 2021, the ILO’s C190 Violence and Harassment Convention 2019 came into force – the first international treaty that sets out a clear framework to end violence and harassment at work. Governments that ratify C190 will be required to put in place the necessary laws and policy measures to prevent and address violence and harassment in the world of work.
The labour standard also specifically defines gender-based violence. UN Women launched the Shadow Pandemic public awareness campaign in May 2020, which focuses on the global increase in domestic violence amid the COVID-19 crisis. As part of its response to the pandemic, UN Women has as one of its five priorities the mitigation and reduction of gender-based violence, including domestic violence. The UK government is yet to ratify C190, but published its Tackling violence against women and girls policy paper in July. This comes three months after the Domestic Abuse Act became law.
Lighting the fuse
Nevertheless, workplace violence was a problem before the pandemic, and there are many catalysts. People unhappy with their working environment – for example, because of working alone, abnormal working hours, long-distance travelling or difficult colleagues – can cause problems. ‘Mergers within companies have been shown to lead to increased levels of violent incidents as workers may feel uncertain about their futures,’ says Gavin Scarr Hall, director of health and safety at HR consultancy Peninsula.
Drugs and alcohol may play a role. The HSE estimates that in 21% of threats and 43% of assaults, victims reported that the offender was under the influence of alcohol. For perpetrators suspected to have taken drugs, the figures were 28% and 42% (HSE, 2021). Ruth says: ‘Violence and harassment in the world of work can be induced by a number of social and work-related factors, including psychosocial hazards, workplace culture – particularly working situation – and so on.’
'There is a big need to understand why the violence is occurring and then look for solutions'
Stress can manifest itself in violence, as can some mental health conditions. ‘The question is: where does this stress originate?’ Rita asks. ‘Does it reside entirely with the individual or does it relate to company and sector culture? An office environment that propagates stress in the pursuit of results can be a toxic and unstable one. Poor employment screening, inadequate management, disgruntled customers and a lack of understanding from employers as to what their safeguarding obligations are will all create an environment in which violence can happen.’
Sometimes violence results from services not meeting the expectations of customers. ‘Perhaps there has been a tendency for organisations to over-promise in a bid to win customers, and this has led to the public expecting a level of service that they do not have the resources to deliver,’ Claire says, adding that we are seeing violence manifest in different ways. ‘An employee’s social media profile can lead to them being identified and targeted by customers or service users who may have a grudge.’
As in wider society, violence derives from a range of environmental, circumstantial and psychological factors. ‘Even within a remote workplace setting, these factors can all come into play and be exacerbated by stress,’ Rita says. ‘And that feeling of being targeted and abused at work will have personal and professional consequences into the future.’
Watch our video on how to tackle workplace violence
Fear factor
A selection of comments gathered by the BRC from retail workers about their experiences of workplace violence make for shocking reading. ‘I was recently head-butted by a male after stopping them from stealing,’ a retail supervisor from Somerset says (BRC, 2021b). ‘I was shocked this had happened, especially because I am a female and he was a male. I need to make sure that I don’t end up in situations like this again.’
A supervisor from the West Midlands says: ‘A few months back, I was involved in a violent incident where I was dragged through the car park by a vehicle and repeatedly punched by people stealing from my store. This was a really shocking incident, and it had a direct effect on me for about a month after. Every time I would hear the tagging gates activate, the whole incident came flooding back. My adrenaline would go through the roof, and I was constantly on edge.’
Dr Noreen works with the emergency services. ‘In the worst cases [workplace violence] can result in life-changing injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], loss of job, anxiety and depression,’ she says. ‘For employers it can mean medical retirements, litigation and high staff turnover.’
But, as with the causes, the range of effects on employees of workplace violence is wide. ‘In some areas, abuse and threats are so common that they can be seen as “part of the job”, but this isn’t acceptable,’ says Claire. ‘If not addressed, it will affect staff motivation, may result in work stress and ultimately mental or physical ill health.’
In addition, says Ruth, witnesses to workplace violence, whether colleagues, clients, patients or customers, need to be considered. They too may suffer from long-term psychological issues such as PTSD. ‘The expectation of violence – real or otherwise – may be a risk factor for occupational stress,’ she adds. ‘Within society there will be a financial impact through emergency responders, and through consultations, treatment, care and rehabilitation. Support services such as counselling may need to be provided, requiring resources and finance.’
Mitigating risks
Prevention first: the role of OSH
Organisations must put policies and procedures in place to tackle workplace violence and take a prevention-first approach, according to Ruth Wilkinson, IOSH head of health and safety. ‘A policy should detail how workplace violence will be prevented, managed and responded to. OSH professionals must demonstrate and encourage strong top-down leadership and commitment to preventing and managing work-related violence, and that a risk-based approach to prevention and control is taken,’ she says.
Gavin Scarr Hall, director of health and safety at Peninsula, says: ‘You may think violence in the workplace is rare and doesn’t occur within your organisation, but your employees may disagree,’ he says. ‘Violence is usually the result of a combination of factors but there are some you can control and manage, such as the level of staff training, whether workers are aware of the early signs of aggression and how they can avoid it escalating.’
Any response to an incident should include a review, consideration of action against the aggressor and the provision of support for those affected, says Claire Saunders, an education consultant. ‘A challenge is reporting of incidents perceived to be minor, such as verbal abuse,’ she adds. ‘Employees may not see the benefit in reporting, but it will help the employer to understand the environment in which the employee is working and to build an understanding of service users that may present a risk.’
Broadly speaking, OSH professionals should ensure that they:
- Consult with employees when assessing risk and when creating policies and procedures
- Communicate policies clearly to employees, customers and clients
- Create a strong and robust reporting system in which management proactively encourages incident reporting via simple methods such as an app, for example
- Monitor, review and take action to ensure the efficacy of the arrangements in place.
Damage done
According to a report by HR software company Breathe (2021), violent workplace cultures cost the UK economy £20.2bn a year. The costs to employers of lost productivity, higher absence and turnover specifically from workplace violence are not recorded by the HSE, but the impact on businesses is clear. ‘For employers, violence can lead to reputational damage that makes it more difficult to recruit and keep staff,’ Gavin says. ‘Violence in the workplace can also have a financial impact, with absenteeism, higher insurance premiums and compensation payments all costing money.’
'The expectation of violence – real or otherwise – may be a risk factor for occupational stress'
Further costs may be incurred if the incident is investigated by the HSE or local authority, and if the employer is held accountable for the incident – for example, because the violence inflicted was preventable. ‘Organisationally, there will also be impacts, and the level of impact will be dependent on the incident and its severity,’ Ruth adds. And if not dealt with, the repercussions will be wide. ‘Failure to tackle workplace violence will affect the motivation of the whole team,’ Rita says. ‘If employees do not feel supported by their employer, they will underperform or may leave, and the employer may find it increasingly difficult to recruit replacements.’
Protecting the workforce
Increased violence against workers in retail has resulted in calls from within the sector and by the Home Affairs Committee in parliament for the government to amend the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill currently being debated in the House of Lords. The amendment aims to introduce a specific offence of assaulting a shop worker. ‘This would toughen sentences for perpetrators and send a clear message that these incidents will not be tolerated,’ a BRC spokesperson says.
Where the risk of workplace violence is foreseeable, health and safety legislation applies. In the UK, this includes the general duties of employers to their employees under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the requirements for risk assessments under regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (as amended) 1999. Where instances of workplace violence result in specified injuries, over seven consecutive days incapacitated from working, or deaths these should be reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations to the authorities.
‘All incidents must be properly investigated to minimise the risks of recurrence and determine the extent of any situation,’ says Gavin. ‘Investigations focused on who is to blame are generally unhelpful, and it is much better to concentrate on what went wrong and how to reduce these risks in future. The results of any investigation should be shared with staff, who should be, where relevant, consulted on any changes required.’
As well as having suitable policies and procedures in place (see Prevention first: the role of OSH, left), OSH professionals should think about the kind of culture their organisation has. ‘They must create a culture that disincentivises bullying, and one which nurtures stakeholders regardless of seniority,’ Rita says. ‘They must also strive to understand and protect an increasingly diverse and disparate workforce.’
But equally, OSH professionals shouldn’t make assumptions. ‘Be aware of gender bias,’ says Claire. ‘Women may be more inclined to fear violence, but all are at risk. There may also be diversity and equality issues as some workers may be more at risk due to their ethnicity or sexual orientation, so it is important to reach out to them and understand their view.’
Workplace violence may vary according to sector, organisation and employee. But, as Rita says, it’s still a growing problem that OSH professionals need to understand. In particular, they need to acknowledge that workplace violence can and does happen, and can exist in many forms.
Illustration credit | Noma Bar
Image credit | Getty
REFERENCES
Breathe. (2021) The Culture Economy Report 2021 (accessed 22 September 2021)
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British Retail Consortium. (2021b). National Retail Crime Steering Group, Violence and abuse against shop workers - case studies and statements (accessed 21 September 2021).
Byon HD, Sagherian K, Kim Y et al. (2021) Nurses’ experience With type II workplace violence and underreporting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Workplace Health & Safety 3: 21650799211031233 (accessed 8 September 2021).
Ghareeb NS, El-Shafei DA, Eladl AM. (2021) Workplace violence among healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic in a Jordanian governmental hospital: the tip of the iceberg. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International 26: 1-9 (accessed 8 September 2021).
Health and Safety Executive. (2020) Violence at work statistics (accessed 7 September 2021).
International Labour Organization. (2020) Safe and healthy working environments free from violence and harassment (accessed 7 September 2021).
Refuge. (2021) A year of lockdown: Refuge releases new figures showing dramatic increase in activity (accessed 7 September 2021).
Retail Trust. (2021) Retail staff suffering lowest levels of mental wellbeing (accessed 7 September 2021).
Usdaw. (2021a) Campaign to end violence and abuse against staff (accessed 7 September 2021).
Usdaw. (2021b) Over 90% of retail staff have been assaulted, threatened or abused - Usdaw urges shopworkers to ‘report it to sort it’ (accessed 7 September 2021).
