How England measures up on violence and abuse at work

International comparisons: How England measures up on violence and abuse at work

Across the world, violence and harassment are now recognised as a routine feature of working life, not a marginal problem. The first global survey by the International Labour Organisation, based on 74,000 workers in 121 countries, found that more than one in five workers worldwide has experienced violence or harassment at work in their working life.

Psychological abuse is most common, affecting around 18 per cent of workers, with nearly 9 per cent reporting physical violence and over 6 per cent sexual violence. Most victims experience repeated incidents, not one-offs.

[Image of a bar chart showing global workplace violence statistics: 18% psychological abuse, 9% physical violence, and 6% sexual violence]

In Europe, the picture remains grim. The European Working Conditions Telephone Survey shows that around 12.5 per cent of workers in EU countries experienced “adverse social behaviour” at work in 2021, including threats, humiliation and physical or sexual violence, with women and frontline workers at higher risk. Health and social care, education, transport and retail come up again and again as high-risk sectors in international research.

England sits on the wrong side of this global comparison.

New UK-wide data from the Skills and Employment Survey 2024 shows that about one in seven employees experienced at least one form of workplace abuse in the past year. Almost 7 per cent suffered physical violence, 9 per cent bullying, and over 2 per cent sexual harassment. The figures are slightly worse in England than the UK average. Abuse is heavily concentrated in public-facing jobs: three in ten workers in caring and service occupations report abuse each year, and nearly four in ten nurses.

Separate national studies found that one in 12 workers in Britain had been threatened, insulted or physically attacked at work in the previous year, and one in 13 felt unsafe at work.

Crime Survey for England and Wales data, used by the HSE, indicates 329,000 adults experienced work-related violence in 2024–25, with an estimated 689,000 incidents of assaults and threats. Frontline roles such as protective services, health and social care, transport and sales have violence rates several times the average.

Internationally, many countries are moving towards stronger, binding protections. Around 50 governments have now ratified ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment at work, using it to drive legal reforms and tougher employer duties.

Chile, Australia and others are embedding explicit prevention duties, mandatory workplace protocols, and stronger labour inspection powers.

The UK ratified Convention 190 in 2022 and promised a “world-leading” framework. In practice, England still relies on a patchwork of criminal law, a general duty to ensure health and safety, and equality law that mainly bites after the damage is done.

There is no single statute on workplace violence and harassment, no universal legal duty on employers to prevent all forms of abuse, and major gaps around third-party violence, lone working, gig and agency work, and online harassment. Many of these issues fall under the broader category of workplace violence, which remains a critical concern for our members.

Enforcement capacity has been hollowed out. Core HSE funding fell by roughly half in real terms between 2010 and 2020, with sharp cuts in staff and inspections and inspectors themselves warning that serious incidents go uninvestigated.

Compared to many countries that are using Convention 190 to strengthen inspection and employer accountability, England is trying to manage an epidemic of abuse with under-powered regulators and laws that put the onus on individual workers to complain, prove, and endure lengthy legal processes.

Workers across England face more violence than many of their European counterparts

The result is predictable with high levels of under-reporting, a steady stream of international evidence that workers across England face more violence than many of their European counterparts, and a regulatory system that talks the language of “zero tolerance” while tolerating routine abuse in practice.

For the Workers of England Union, the conclusion is clear. Abuse at work in England is not an unfortunate side effect of modern life. It is the product of political choices, weak regulation, under-resourced enforcement, and an economic model that treats public-facing workers as expendable.

International evidence shows it does not have to be this way. Where Trade Unions have won binding prevention duties, strong inspection regimes and real employer liability, violence and harassment are pushed back. The task for Trade Union members in England is to turn Convention 190 from a ratified promise into a lived reality in every workplace.

References

• International Labour Organisation (2022), Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll 2021
• Eurofound, Violence in the workplace (2023)
• Green et al, Skills and Employment Survey 2024, WISERD (2025)
• Health and Safety Executive, Violence at work 2024 to 25 (December 2025)
• Gash V and Blom N, Workplace violence and fear in the UK (2025)
• UK Parliament, Hansard debates on ILO Convention 190 (January 2026)