VISION Policy Report - Violence in the workplace in the UK: Business and individual-level exposure

Workplace violence is a significant problem with under-examined productivity effects. Prevalence is high, just under 1 in 5 workers reported exposure to psychological violence and harassment at work and 1 in 10 reported exposure to physical violence during their working lives in a recent global survey (International Labour Organization [ILO], 2022a). In the UK, 1 in 10 employees have experienced workplace bullying or harassment, with higher rates found among women and those from lower socio-economic groups (Bunce et al. 2024). While these figures are stark, they likely underestimate the true rate given that 46% of victims of workplace violence did not disclose their experiences to others.

This report seeks to inform national policy development towards a minimisation of workplace violence. It is one of few studies on the topic, partly due to the paucity of nationally representative data for the UK which collect detailed indices on both violence and relevant features of the workplace.