Introduction

The article defines and describes shortly the situation in the area of violence and harassment at work in Lithuania. It deals with available statistical data concerning this area. At the end of the article, violence at the workplace from the point of view of legal regulations in force is discussed.

• Key statistics
• Key Official Documents
• 10 steps for organisations to prevent violence and harassment at work
• Providers of information
• Information about the “state of the play” regarding …

Further information

The websites of the Agency’s and its national Focal Points contain further information about the prevention of violence and harassment at work. As a first step, you can read the Agency’s factsheets numbers 22, 23 and 24 at http://osha.europa.eu/topics/stress.

What do we mean by “violence” and “harassment”?

The concept of workplace violence generally covers insults, threats, or physical or psychological aggression exerted against a worker to the extent that it endangers their health, safety or well-being. There may be a racial or sexual dimension to the violence. Aggressive or violent acts may take the form of uncivil behaviour (lack of respect for others), or physical or verbal aggression (with intention to harm).

Workplace harassment (often also referred to as bullying, mobbing or intimidation) is defined here as repeated, unreasonable behaviour directed towards an employee, or group of employees, that creates a risk to their health and safety. Harassment can involve both verbal and physical attacks, as well as more subtle acts like devaluation of a colleague’s work or social isolation. Bullying often involves a misuse or abuse of power, where the targets can experience difficulties in defending themselves. It can also have elements of discrimination against workers based on their gender, ethnicity, disability, etc.

Both issues are interrelated and share some features, although violence generally comes from outside the organisation (including customers and clients), whereas harassment usually takes place among employees and rarely involves physical violence. According to data from the European Foundation, “nearly one worker in ten claims to have been subjected to intimidation at their workplace. Over 7% of EU workers are aware of the existence physical violence in their workplace while 2% report having experienced physical violence at work”.

What problems can violence and harassment cause?

Violence and harassment can have very serious consequences for both the individuals affected and their enterprises. The consequences of physical violence for the individual vary greatly, ranging from demotivation, to stress (even for the indirect victim, the witness of the violent act or incident), and injury to physical or psychological health. In extreme cases, post traumatic stress disorder can occur. The negative effects on the organisation will be reflected in increased absenteeism, decreasing motivation, reduced productivity, deterioration of labour relations and recruitment difficulties.

In individuals who have been victims of bullying, both physical and mental health symptoms are well established, e.g. stress, depression, reduced self-esteem, self-blame, phobias, sleep disturbances, digestive and musculoskeletal problems. Post traumatic stress disorder is also common among victims of bullying, and these symptoms might persist years after the incidents. Other consequences might be social isolation, family problems and financial problems due to absence or discharge from work. At the organisational level, the costs of bullying can result in higher absenteeism and staff turnover, reduced effectiveness and productivity, not only for the victims of bullying but also for other colleagues who suffer from the negative psychosocial climate in the work environment. Legal damages arising from bullying cases can also be high.

Generally, both violence and harassment can be important contributors to work-related stress, both for victims and witnesses. Stress is one of the major problems in occupational safety and health. It can have severe consequences for workers’ health and well-being, and –as one of the main causes of absenteeism– can affect organisations’ economic performance very negatively.