Preventing Violence at Work

Violence in the workplace is a major contributor to death and injury in many parts of the world. In the United States, official statistics have placed homicide as the second single leading cause of death in the workplace-after road traffic injuries-for men, and the first for women. In the European Union, an estimated three million workers have been subjected to physical violence at work. Studies on female migrant workers from the Philippines have shown that many, especially those working in domestic service or the entertainment industry, are disproportionately affected by violence within their work.

    Violence at work involves not only physical but also psychological behavior. Many workers are subjected to bullying, sexual harassment, threats, intimidation and other forms of psychological violence. Research in the United Kingdom has found that 53 percent of employees have suffered bullying at work and 78 percent have witnessed such behavior. In South Africa, workplace hostilities have been reported as "abnormally high" and a recent study showed that 78 percent of those surveyed had at some time experienced bullying within the workplace.

    Repeated acts of violence-from bullying, sexual harassment, and threats to humiliate and undermine workers-may also develop cumulatively into very serious cases. In Sweden, it is estimated that such behavior has been a factor in 10 to 15 percent of suicides.

    Violence in the workplace causes immediate and often long term disruption to interpersonal relationships and to the whole working environment. The costs of such violence include:

•     Direct costs stemming from such things as illness, disability and death, absenteeism, turnover of staff.

•     Indirect costs, including reduced work performance, a lower quality of products or service and slower production, decreased competitiveness.

•     More intangible costs, including damage to the image of an organization, decreased motivation and morale, diminished loyalty to the organization, lower levels of creativity, environment that is less conducive to work.

    Violence at work is not simply an individual problem that happens from time to time, but a structural problem with much wider socioeconomic, cultural and organizational causes. As in dealing with violence in other settings, a comprehensive approach is required, making the health, safety and well-being of workers integral parts of the development of the organization.

    The type of systematic and targeted package to prevent violence at work that is being increasingly adopted includes: the active collaboration of workers' and employers' organizations in formulating clear, antiviolence workplace policies and programs; supporting legislation and guidelines from national and local government; the dissemination of case studies of good practice in preventing violence at work; improvements to the working environment, styles of management and the organization of work, greater opportunities for training; counseling and support for those affected.

    By directly linking health and safety with the management and development of an organization, this comprehensive approach offers the means of prompt and sustainable action to eliminate violence in the workplace. WHO