Scale of workplace violence and abuse ‘shocking and unacceptable’, says charity

The father of a woman killed by a former colleague who stalked her has called for employers to do more to ensure workplace safety after a survey suggested almost a third of workers experienced violence, aggression or abuse in the past year.

The charity behind the research described the findings as “shocking and unacceptable”, as they called for “stronger laws, better training, and a shift from a culture of tolerance to one of accountability” when it comes to workplace safety.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust commissioned polling that found that around one in five workers (20%) feel at risk of violence at work and almost a third (31%) have experienced at least one incident in the past year.

The most common behaviour was verbal abuse (21%), followed by bullying or intimidation (14%).

Around 3% of people had experienced physical assault and the same percentage said they had faced sexual harassment or assault.

The charity – named after estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, who disappeared aged 25 and was later declared dead, presumed murdered, after leaving her west London offices to meet a mystery client in 1986 – is calling for a “co-ordinated national effort to ensure that every worker, in every sector, can go to work knowing they will return home safely”.

Suky Bhaker, chief executive of the trust, said, “Every statistic in this report represents a person who has experienced violence or abuse or felt unsafe, unsupported, and unheard at work. The scale of violence against frontline staff is both shocking and unacceptable.

“Workplace violence is not inevitable and must be prevented. Our research shows what needs to change: stronger laws, better training, and a shift from a culture of tolerance to one of accountability.

“The time for half measures is over. We need a co-ordinated national effort to ensure that every worker, in every sector, can go to work knowing they will return home safely.”

Richard Spinks, father of Gracie Spinks who was killed by ex-colleague Michael Sellers in 2021 after he became “obsessed” with her, has also backed the trust’s call.

Miss Spinks had described feeling “anxious and scared” by the actions of Sellers in a complaint to their workplace months before he is believed to have stabbed her to death as she tended to her horse on a farm, and then taken his own life.

The 23-year-old had told her workplace she was “uncomfortable” around Sellers and thought his actions were “creepy”.

He was eventually dismissed for misconduct in relation to his behaviour towards her, after being reported for stalking by Miss Spinks, who had refused to pursue a romantic relationship with him.

Mr Spinks said: “No parent should have to endure what our family has gone through. Gracie trusted the people she worked with, and her employer had a duty to protect her from harm.

“When clear risks are ignored or safety systems fail, accountability cannot stop at the individual. It must extend to the organisations that allow those failures to happen.

“Employers must take responsibility, not just after the fact but every single day, to prevent harmful behaviours and make sure workplaces are safe.”

The trust is calling for loopholes that it says exist in the current law to be closed, ensuring protection from third-party harassment, including customers or clients; the creation of a health and safety framework to address all forms of violence and abuse in the workplace; and mandatory recording and reporting of all incidents of violence, aggression and gender-based abuse at work.

Baroness Carmen Smith described the survey results as “truly shocking” and said they show “the UK’s legal framework is severely deficient and that it is clearly failing to protect workers from violence in the workplace”.

She pledged to table amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, which is back in the Lords next week, regarding harassment and violence in the workplace being considered a health and safety issue, and putting a duty on employers to safeguard their employees.

She said: “No worker should feel at risk of violence at work. The UK Government must and can act now.”

A Government spokesperson said: “Violence or harassment in the workplace is completely unacceptable, it has no place in our society, and we expect any employer to take a zero tolerance approach wherever it is found.

“Our Employment Rights Bill will amend the Equality Act 2010 by strengthening protections for workers, requiring employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees including by third parties, and introducing an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties.”

:: YouGov surveyed 1,003 adults online across the retail, hospitality, healthcare and transport sectors in September.