Holistic Health
How to prevent workplace bullying and harassment
The first global survey suggests these practices are rife across countries
Violence and harassment on the job are a global scourge that can make workers ’ lives miserable while affecting their psychological and physical health . Strategies to prevent and deal with them are badly needed .
Soma Gosh told the BBC the constant bullying by a colleague who criticised and humiliated her while blaming her for others ’ mistakes led her to develop anxiety and depression . She had trouble sleeping , recurring flu symptoms , and pain in her fingers , hands , and shoulders due to working long hours without breaks .
We now know that Soma ’ s experience is not unique but part of a larger trend . The first global survey on the issue has found that more than one in five persons in employment ( 22.8 percent ) has experienced at least one form of violence and harassment at work , which includes physical ( e . g ., hitting or spitting ), psychological ( e . g ., insults , threats , bullying ), and sexual violence ( e . g ., unwanted sexual touching and sexual requests ). Even more worrying , 6.3 percent of respondents had to endure all three of them .
Published in 2022 , the survey was conducted by the International Labour Organization , together with Lloyd ’ s Register Foundation and Gallup , to provide global insights that could help address the problem . The findings are based on 74,364 interviews done across 121 countries .
“ For too long , companies and organizations have been unaware or unwilling to tackle violence and harassment in the workplace ,” said Andrew Rzepa , a Partner at Gallup , in a press release . “ This dataset provides a baseline that we can all use to track muchneeded progress on this vital safety issue .”
Youth , migrants , salaried workers , and especially women are the groups at greater risk of violence and harassment . Slightly more than half of the people surveyed talked about their experiences , usually with friends and family , while many others decided to stay silent for different reasons , including thinking it was a waste of time , fear for their reputation , unclear procedures at work , and lack of trust in the police .
In order to improve the experiences of workers ,
the report recommends regular collection of robust data on workplace violence and harassment to devise remediation laws and programmes as well as research and advocacy ; prevention mechanisms like occupational safety and health management ( OSH ) systems ; raising awareness about violence and harassment at work to encourage victims to speak up ; and improving capacities of institutions at all levels to effectively prevent , remedy , and support victims .
“ There is no denying that it is challenging to develop and implement successful and effective strategies and measures to prevent and remedy violence and harassment at work . Doing so requires the involvement of all levels of government , employers and workers and their respective organizations , as well as society in general and relevant international actors ,” reads the report .
In Malaysia , for instance , verbal bullying , ignoring a subordinate , and cyber bullying are common in the manufacturing and services sectors , Simon Benjamin , President of the Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management ( MIHRM ), told FMT Business , adding that employees should help each other so that colleagues could act as whistleblowers when a worker is bullied .
“ The victim should submit a complaint in writing to the human resource department or even directly to the CEO , if necessary ,” he advised .
Youth , migrants , salaried workers , and especially women are the groups at greater risk of violence and harassment .
16 ISSUE 1 | 2023 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com