Social care workers face ‘culture of violence’

Assaults on social care workers are grossly under-reported with a new report showing almost 40% stating they experienced workplace violence on a weekly basis.
Noel Howard of Social Care Ireland said the study, based on survey responses from 338 social care workers, showed there was a need to challenge what he called “the acceptance of a culture of violence as being part of the job”.
The study, a University College Cork CARL Research Project in collaboration with Social Care Ireland, found workplace violence had consequences that included absenteeism, burnout, job dissatisfaction, and stress.
The research found that 70% of participants felt their employers were not addressing the issue.
The main findings include:
- 24% reported they experienced workplace violence daily;
- 39.9% said they experienced it weekly, with 28% reporting it occurred monthly;
- 70% reported experiencing verbal abuse;
- 72% reported harassment with a further 7% reporting other forms of violence.
The study showed that 73%reported being off work as a result of violence and an even higher percentage said staff turnover was attributable to it. Some 85% described staff burnout and low job satisfaction.
More than half of those surveyed said workplace violence affected the quality of care provided to service users and almost 70% said it negatively impacted staff retention and recruitment.
The study also found 15.7% of participants highlighted that underreporting occurs as they feel it may impact on job loss. Almost half (46.7%) reported that they fear criticism from management and colleagues.