Reports suggest that work-related violence in the UK is rising. Professional drivers, in particular, are feeling the brunt of this shift. Their work is increasingly coming with a heightened level of risk, with drivers experiencing an above-average workplace violence rate, according to an HSE report. But what does this violence actually look like?
The HSE report looked at inter-personal violence – as in physical threats and abuse from customers or the general public. This was similarly borne out in the conversations our research team had with transport workers. It’s clear that they are feeling the pressure from having to work in an increasingly hostile workplace.
Many of the people that we spoke to offered up examples of personal experiences that had affected them. One described how professional drivers are often on the receiving end of the “stress of other commuters, giving you all the abuse under the sun”, while another recalled how they felt like they were treated as a “second-class citizen”.
Although the incidents they recalled weren’t extreme cases of workplace violence, the evidence suggests that regularly being on the receiving end of uncivil behaviour like this can contribute to anxiety, depression and reduced job satisfaction, putting people off coming to work and making them consider early retirement.
But it’s not only inter-personal violence that drivers are at risk of; there is also impersonal violence. This occurs as an indirect result of pressure from employers that encourages unsafe driving practices. The UK does have rules that are meant to prevent this, protecting workers from practices such as driving while tired.
But this has not completely stopped it. Again, our interviews with drivers revealed that in the current economic climate, haulage firms are increasingly feeling the pressure to disregard rules. One driver said that “the attitude is, it doesn’t matter how many hours you’ve already done, just do it when we’re ready”.
The constant stress that can be brought on by both forms of violence takes its toll on drivers’ health and well-being. No worker should have to endure such mental ill health in the course of doing their job.
So, what can organisations do to help? Firstly, drivers should be encouraged to report incidents of abuse and not made to feel that the experience is ‘just part of the job’. Appropriate support should be made available to them, giving them the chance to talk it through.
Organisations also need to look at their own practices. Proper reporting and whistle-blowing procedures should be in place to help businesses identify problems where risky behaviour is being encouraged. All of this should be geared towards building a workplace culture with safety at the heart of it.
Drivers need to feel that they’re in a position where they are comfortable voicing any concerns they may have. We not only need to raise awareness around both interpersonal and impersonal violence, but start actively encouraging workers to report incidents of it without fear of retribution from their employer. This will help organisations to gain insight into how to tackle the problem and protect drivers from the rise in workplace violence that we are seeing.
Professor Sheena Johnson and Dr Lynn Holdsworth, members of the Age, Health and Professional Drivers’ (AHPD) Network at Alliance Manchester Business School
