Workplace violence and aggression (WVA) is a serious social issue with profound negative consequences for individuals, teams, organisations, and society. The risk of WVA from the public (third parties) is a growing concern, with evidence indicating that incidents increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even ‘after’ COVID (after pandemic restrictions have ended), increased rates of WVA have meant that retailers and other organisations have begun to equip their staff with body-worn cameras in an attempt to reduce incidents. In this article, Dr Kara Ng and Professor Sheena Johnson outline their work with the Violence and Aggression Research Network (VARN) and make proposals for updated policy to support employers and individuals.

• Many victims of workplace violence and aggression do not report these incidents due to inadequacies with reporting mechanisms.
• Certain occupations are more at risk from workplace violence and aggression – but perceive this as an inevitable part of the job they do.
• Government bodies and agencies considering employer legislation should consider the importance of risk assessment and management regarding WVA.

Violence and Aggression Research Network

Workplace violence and aggression is defined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as “any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work”. It can refer to physical, psychological, and/or verbal acts.

We created the Violence and Aggression Research Network (VARN) in response to calls from the HSE to better understand the following issues: the nature of WVA, its current state in frontline work, how organisations are currently addressing WVA, and what organisations to do to encourage WVA reporting. VARN is led jointly by academic staff from the Thomas Ashton Institute for Risk and Regulatory Research at The University of Manchester and colleagues from the HSE.

We brought together industry representatives (such as health and safety officers) to VARN workshops where we offered a space for representatives to answer our research aims and discuss best practice.

Research findings – frontline staff, rising aggression and impacts of Covid

Our workshops investigating workplace aggression across various occupational groups took place between 2020 and 2023 and revealed that the pandemic led to an increase in WVA towards frontline workers, and that new types of abusive behaviour had become common since the pandemic, with numerous cases of perpetrators spitting or coughing on workers.

Our findings also indicated the likelihood that many incidents are not reported. This may be due in part to a culture in which WVA is normalised as being simply ‘part of the job’ for frontline sectors, such as retail and healthcare, and a lack of faith in management’s ability to respond to incidents and support employees.

These findings chime with multiple reports from organisations such as the HSE and International Labour Organisation (ILO). They report that professions which entail working alone, working in contact with the public, working with people in distress, working with valuables and cash handling, and working in isolated or remote locations at evenings or nights have increased risk of violence and aggression, with the occupational group with the highest risk of experiencing work-related violence and aggression being protective services. This group includes officers in the police service, fire service, customs and immigration and occupations in health and social care.

Impacts of violence and aggression

Victims of WVA can suffer from both physical and mental health effects. Employees who live in smaller communities recounted fears of coming across their perpetrators in public, thus further affecting their quality of life

Businesses and services affected by WVA towards their staff can face difficulties in recruiting or retaining staff. Widespread and frequent WVA can also negatively impact employee morale and productivity. More widely, WVA can lead to additional societal expenditure on welfare or benefits due to workers taking extended sick leave or premature retirement from work as a result of WVA.

Policy implications and recommendations

Our workshop participants also discussed how reporting systems are inaccessible to frontline employees. For example, some employees do not have access to ready technology that hosts reporting systems, such as work computers or work phones, while others reported that employees must stay after shift to report incidents. Some reporting systems are also complex and/or bureaucratic, further discouraging reporting.

WVA is covered by health and safety legislation, employment law and criminal law, which includes The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act) – where employers have a legal duty to ensure, so far as it is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees. We would recommend that this legislation be consulted on and updated to reflect current levels of WVA and mandating that employers provide clear policies in relation to violence and aggression, detailing both employer and employee responsibilities, raising awareness of related issues among the workforce, and set standards for workplace behaviour.

In summer 2023, the Department for Work and Pensions consulted on Occupational Health: Working Better. One of the themes explored what should such a national health at work standard for employers look like. We would advocate for a national health at work standard to place an emphasis on risk assessment and management regarding WVA. Crucially, considering the responses we received about the inadequacy of reporting systems, we would also recommend the following:

• It should be a legal requirement that employees be given in-work time to report incidents.
• Reporting systems should be simple to use and on easily accessible platforms.
• Employers should increase meaningful training emphasising that WVA is unacceptable, encouraging reporting and explaining the support available to employees.
• WVA incidents should be regularly analysed and evaluated. Several participants shared that there is no capacity to analyse collected incident data, which hinders understanding of whether there are changes in the frequency, prevalence, and nature of WVA.

Our participants also highlighted the importance of relationships with local authorities and police. Employees may feel as though nothing can be done if there is no physical evidence of WVA incidents or that the police do not prioritise such cases.

There can be no doubt that WVA has negative consequences for individuals, businesses, services and society as a whole. Updated legislation, training, awareness and accessible reporting are all measures that can be taken to tackle this – and to break down a culture in which where dealing with violence and aggression is viewed as “a part of the job”.