Violence and aggression at work
By violence and aggression, we mean all situations in which an employee is psychologically or physically threatened, intimidated, or attacked during the performance of their work.
Example
An employee becomes frustrated because a colleague does not perform a task correctly right away. On an impulse, he throws an object at the colleague.
Employees confronted with aggression feel unsafe and can develop long-term stress complaints. In extreme cases, this even leads to absenteeism. Therefore, it is crucial to immediately address incidents and provide aftercare, supplemented with preventive measures at an organisational level.
Bullying in the workplace
Bullying occurs when an employee is repeatedly and for an extended period targeted by hurtful or humiliating behaviour. This behaviour places the person concerned in a weaker position, makes self-defense difficult, and affects the person's dignity.
Example
A new employee is systematically excluded from team meetings, given meaningless tasks, and socially ostracized by colleagues. These are clear signs of bullying that can cause both psychological and professional harm.
Bullying can manifest as verbal abuse, social isolation, intimidation, or the assignment of demeaning tasks. The impact can have serious consequences, both for the bullied employee who may experience physical and/or mental health problems and for the organisation as a whole.
Unwanted sexual behaviour
Unwanted sexual behaviour includes any form of verbal, non-verbal, or physical behaviour with a sexual connotation that is not desired by the recipient. It infringes upon the employee's dignity and creates a hostile, unsafe, or humiliating work environment.
Example
A supervisor asks inappropriate personal questions and switches to sexually suggestive comments and unwanted touching when the employee does not respond to his advances.
Which steps must an employer take?
As an employer, you must do everything you can to prevent and combat transgressive behaviour. A good policy contains both preventive measures and clear procedures to intervene when behaviour occurs. Premed supports you every step of the way.
What steps can an employee take?
Employees who experience transgressive behaviour should know that they can contact various helplines:
1. Reporting and initial support
Employees can report and seek information from:
- the manager (if not an involved party) or HR
- the confidential adviser,
- the prevention adviser for psychosocial aspects,
- or the occupational physician when there is an impact on health.
2. Informal procedure
An informal solution can be sought through the confidential adviser or prevention adviser, for example:
- a conversation with the involved party,
- an intervention through the hierarchical line,
- mediation to resolve the conflict.
3. Formal internal procedure
If informal steps yield no results, the employee can submit a formal request for intervention to the prevention adviser for psychosocial aspects. This adviser will investigate the case and recommend measures.
4. External judicial procedure
In serious cases, the employee can contact:
- the inspection service for supervision of well-being at work
- the labour court,
- or when criminal offenses (assault and battery, molestation, ..) are committed, the police and the criminal court.
First, the internal possibilities must be exhausted (with the exception of criminal offenses).
What if the behaviour comes from third parties?
Transgressive behaviour can also originate from persons outside the organisation, such as clients, patients, suppliers or visitors. Even then, as an employer, you must do everything possible to protect your employees.
This means that you:
- carry out a risk assessment for possible psychosocial stress from third parties,
- register incidents in the register for third-party facts
- take appropriate preventive measures.
In some cases, this may lead to:
- the termination of a collaboration with a supplier who exhibits transgressive behaviour,
- or consultation with an external employer to take measures against one of their employees.
What can Premed do for you?
At Premed, you can count on the expertise of our prevention adviser for psychosocial aspects. He supports your organisation with:
- Developing a strong and sustainable policy on transgressive behaviour.
- Performing a targeted risk assessment and clearly mapping out psychosocial risks within your company.
- Answering all your questions about psychosocial well-being and transgressive behaviour.
