Violence at work; scourge level in some countries: UN labour agency
15 Jun '06
3 min read
Violence at work, ranging from bullying and mobbing, to threats by psychologically unstable co-workers, sexual harassment and homicide, is increasing worldwide and has reached epidemic levels in some countries, according to a new publication by the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO).
In addition, the global cost of workplace violence is enormous and costs untold millions of dollars in losses in other countries due to causes including absenteeism and sick leave, according to the latest edition of ILO's Violence at Work.
“Bullying, harassment, mobbing and allied behaviours can be just as damaging as outright physical violence. Today, the instability of many types of jobs places huge pressures on workplaces, and we're seeing more of these forms of violence,” according to the authors of the study.
The publication, which is written by Vittorio Di Martino, an international expert on stress and workplace violence, and Duncan Chappell, past president of the New South Wales Mental Health Review, Australia, also addresses the growing concern of terrorism, which the authors describe as “one of the new faces of workplace violence.”
The study notes that professions once regarded as sheltered from workplace violence such as teaching, social services, library services and health care are being exposed to increasing acts of violence, in both developed and developing countries.
Drawing on statistics from all over the world, theILO highlights various trends, noting for example that in Germany, a 2002 study estimated that more than 800,000 workers were victims of mobbing, where a group of workers targets an individual for psychological harassment. In Spain, an estimated 22 per cent of officials in public administration were victims of mobbing.
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