Violence in the Workplace

Violence is one of the most obvious signs of a toxic workplace, and its prevalence is probably worse than you think.

A 2022 University of Queensland study titled “Serving up a Fair Go? Surfacing cultural issues in hospitality employment” revealed that more than 60% of hospitality workers experience violence in the form of sexual harassment, bullying, or racial abuse. More than 70% have witnessed it at work. While customers were the main perpetrators, 42% of respondents said the abuse came from their managers or supervisors.

Hitting, pushing, throwing objects, spitting, shouting, swearing, indecent physical (sexual) contact, virtual abuse, and much more all fall under the workplace violence umbrella. It’s frightening how much hospitality abuse is normalised, and even anticipated, in certain hospitality settings. No one should go to work feeling unsafe or on edge during their shift. We will never stop advocating for our hospitality candidates in the workplace, and are extremely thankful that we so, so rarely have these issues.

If you see something, say something