Aggression in the workplace, or when doing your job outside the home. Figures show that millions of Dutch people are affected by it every year. The consequences for personal well-being can be significant. How, who and what? Read more. Aggression in the workplace, on the street or elsewhere when doing your job. Sometimes your mind stops to think about it: even people who do rescue work, such as ambulance personnel, become victims of aggression. The reader can decide for himself whether it is good or bad news: the number of cases of aggression in the performance of your job has remained approximately the same in the Netherlands for several years. This is evident from the National Working Conditions Survey (NEA). There is some difference per sector. When it comes to retailers, teachers, transporters and healthcare providers, the trend is stable. But when it comes to aggression among colleagues or by managers, there is a very slight downward trend.
What is aggression in the workplace?
When aggression at work is measured, you are not just talking about throwing a punch. Aggression at work includes unwanted sexual attention, but also intimidation, physical violence or bullying. The NEA figures show that in 2011 a disturbing percentage of 24%, or no less than 1.7 million, of Dutch employees experienced some form of aggression. The perpetrator can be a customer, a student, passenger or patient. In addition to this so-called external aggression, there is internal aggression. Here too, the figures are astonishing: 16% or 1.1 million people experienced internal aggression from colleagues or managers in 2011.
Risk perception
In fact, the trend in the number of cases is stable. But the so-called risk perception is increasing, and this mainly concerns the public sector. This may be related to the increasing attention in the media and society for violence, intimidation and sexual harassment at work. In 2005, less than a quarter or 23% of respondents who believed they did dangerous work saw confrontation with aggression as an important hazard at work. But by 2010 this had already risen to over 30%, and the figures are even higher for the public sector. In 2005 it was 44%, but in 2010 it was already 62%.
Burnout and absenteeism
Anyone who has had to deal with aggression at work may experience health problems. Even after two years, a victim of aggression at work may suffer from complaints such as burnout and increased absenteeism. Victims of violence also appear to have a greater intention to change jobs. They experience less job satisfaction in their work than average. Paulien Bongers, Innovation Director of Labor at TNO, says: Employees who experience aggression at work are less employable and run the risk of prematurely dropping out of the labor process. Aggression at work remains a point of attention in working conditions policy in the Netherlands due to the number of exposed employees and the significant impact.
Aggression at work: who falls into risk groups?
The risk groups for external aggression consist of police and justice, health and welfare, secondary education, but also department stores and supermarkets. If you look at who is at extra risk of aggression at work, it is often people who have less social or physical muscle and are easier prey for the average coward: women, young people, those with secondary education, employees who work part-time or do night work. . But even those who have a lot of contact with customers are logically more likely to experience aggression at work. As far as internal aggression is concerned, the most risk groups for aggression at work are in the industry, car trade and repair, justice and postal and telecommunications sectors. Employees within the so-called Sheltered Employment Act also belong to the risk groups.
The report and its makers
The TNO report ‘Aggression at work: Developments, risks, impact and need for measures’ was written in the context of the Social Working Conditions Program that TNO implements in close collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment and social partners. TNO is an independent innovation organization. TNO aims to connect people and knowledge to create innovations that sustainably strengthen the competitiveness of companies and the well-being of society. There are approximately 3,500 professionals associated with TNO, who are working on applicable knowledge and solutions for global scarcity problems. TNO focuses its efforts on seven themes. One of them is Healthy living. Then it is about initiating technological and social innovation for a healthy organization of our lives and our society. More at www.tno.nl