Foreign-born workers and those struggling financially are more likely to experience violence and harassment in the workplace, according to a report by Lloyd’s Register Foundation.
The global safety charity is urging countries to ratify the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention 190, an inclusive and gender-responsive approach to preventing and eliminating workplace violence and harassment.
The report, titled “Focus On: The impact of income and migration on violence and harassment at work”, analyzed data from Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s World Risk Poll.
It found that 28% of foreign-born workers experienced violence and harassment at work, compared to 22% of native-born workers. The report also noted that 56% of native-born workers informed someone about their experiences, while this number dropped to 53% for foreign-born workers.
Regionally, only 10% of workers in Southeast Asia reported experiencing workplace violence and harassment. Contrary to global trends, 93% of foreign-born workers in this region were more likely to report their experiences than native-born workers (42%).
The report revealed a greater disparity when considering the financial stability of workers. Struggling foreign-born workers experienced workplace violence and harassment at a rate of 33%, compared to 26% for financially comfortable foreign-born workers.
Lloyd’s Register Foundation is advocating for the ratification of ILO Convention 190 as a global priority. The convention, introduced in 2019, is the first international labor standard to provide a common framework for preventing and eliminating workplace violence and harassment. However, very few countries, including the USA, Australia, and New Zealand, have ratified it.
Aaron Gardner, Data and Insight Scientist at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, said, “Violence and harassment has become a global issue, and more must be done to support those suffering in the workplace.”
“However, ratification must provide the impetus for practical action to address experiences of violence and harassment in the workplace. Data from the World Risk Poll can be used by governments, employers and trade unions to create targeted approaches to reduce the harm experienced at a local level, ensuring all employees are protected,” said Mr Gardner.
The report was based on the experiences of 125,000 people from 121 countries regarding workplace violence and harassment. Participants were provided with comprehensive definitions of physical, psychological, and sexual violence and harassment.
Organisations, policymakers and researchers can access the entre dataset by visiting the World Risk Poll website. The Focus On report can be downloaded here.
