Healthcare and hospitality workers most often experience unwanted behaviour

Staff in healthcare and hospitality experience undesirable behaviour in the workplace most often, such as sexual attention, harassment, violence or bullying. This is according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and TNO. Female employees report such experiences more often than their male colleagues, according to the National Survey of Working Conditions.

According to the survey, 17 per cent of all employees (aged 15 to 75) last year reported experiencing unwanted behaviour at work in the past 12 months.

In healthcare, 30 per cent of workers reported having experienced this and in hospitality 20 per cent. In contrast, workers in agriculture and construction experienced it relatively little.

CBS says more than one in five female employees experience unwanted behaviour. That is more than male employees (13 per cent). A factor in this is that a relatively large number of women work in healthcare.

Inappropriate behaviour is also more common among employees who have relatively frequent contact with others such as colleagues, patients and customers during their work, such as in the healthcare and hospitality sectors.

In healthcare, 30 per cent of female employees say they experience unwanted behaviour and in the hospitality industry the figure is 24 per cent. In the hospitality industry, women relatively often experience unwanted sexual attention.

Trade union CNV calls it scandalous that 17 per cent of workers have to deal with undesirable behaviour in the workplace. This is the union's response to CBS figures published Monday morning.

CNV calls on employers to speed up efforts to combat undesirable behaviour, such as sexual attention, harassment or bullying.

"For more than a million Dutch people, the workplace is unsafe. A daily ordeal," states CNV chairman Piet Fortuin. ,,We also see this reflected in the absenteeism figures: psychological absenteeism is higher than ever. Employers must fight this scourge more fiercely. No workplace in the Netherlands should be unsafe anymore."

In 2022, absenteeism costs for employers due to mental strain rose to a record 4.4 billion euros, a 33 per cent increase compared to 2021. On average, absenteeism cost 14,000 euros per employee, according to the TNO Fact Sheet 2024. The biggest cause was excessive workload, followed by social insecurity.

According to OVAL director Karin Hoogteijling, unsafe working environments and lack of social safety not only entail high costs, but also lead to work stress and reduced productivity.

,,A lack of social safety in the workplace leads to high costs, work stress and lower productivity among employees. Thus, an unsafe work culture partly determines the quality of work. Especially in these times of labour shortages, it pays to invest in a safe working environment. It pays back twice over."

One in four employees experience workplace conflicts and 17% have experienced unwanted behaviour, such as bullying or harassment. Absenteeism costs due to such conflicts are significantly higher, an average of EUR 18,500 per employee. Although support from colleagues is often present, Hoogteijling stresses that respectful interaction remains essential for job satisfaction and motivation.