Healthcare workers rank among the most at risk for incidents of violence on the job. And now, recent survey data confirms that persistent workplace safety concerns are causing high rates of healthcare worker burnout.
What’s going on? Read on to find out.
Study finds high rates of healthcare worker burnout
Indeed, last month, a new study from Verkada and The Harris Poll revealed that almost half of healthcare workers in the U.S. considered leaving their jobs due to workplace safety concerns. Forty-five percent said they were likely to leave their job in the next 12 months.
According to the study, 50% of nurses reported intentions to depart. At nearly 40%, however, physicians weren’t too far behind.
Healthcare workers also believe that ongoing safety concerns are having a negative effect on recruitment, actively deterring potential entrants from joining the profession.
Longstanding workplace safety concerns in healthcare settings
In many respects, this study only confirms what we’ve long known about the prevalence of workplace violence in healthcare settings. For instance, the National Safety Council (NSC), drawing on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), found that of the 28,970 nonfatal work-related injuries caused by assaults and resulting in Days Away From Work (DAFW) in 2021-2022, a staggering 70.2% occurred in a healthcare or social assistance setting.
Of course, workplace violence in healthcare settings isn’t unique to the U.S. Safe Work Australia estimated that in 2024, around 95% of Australian healthcare workers had experienced physical or verbal violence.
What’s more, nearly 40% of health and community services workers surveyed reported exposure to violent or traumatic events at work, including exposure to harm, abuse or assault, receiving threats, or being in view of a traumatic event or death, according to the Australian Workers’ Union and Head First Mental Health Issues in the Workplace Report from October 2023.
Workplace safety interventions in healthcare settings
Beyond stanching the outflow of medical professionals, healthcare employers have every reason to mitigate the risk of violence at their work sites. Some workplace safety interventions they can pursue include:
Identify a facilities’ risk factors for violence
Employers might consider performing a thorough threat assessment of the physical spaces in which healthcare professionals operate. From there, they can institute regular reviews and track the causes of incidents to keep assessments up to date.
Establish anti-violence, anti-harassment, and anti-bullying policies
Workplace violence prevention plans, often mandated by law, should be zero tolerance, clearly defining unacceptable behaviors for work sites. This shows employees their organization’s commitment to creating and maintaining a culture of respect and building an environment that minimizes negative feelings like isolation, resentment, and hostility.
Communicate policies to all employees, managers, and supervisors
Every employee must be made aware of workplace violence prevention policies and held to the same standard throughout the organization. To this end, employers should include policies in any employee handbook or other documentation designed to outline both employee and employer obligations and expectations.
Hold regular employee trainings
Trainings should include the content of policies, signs of potential violent behavior, workplace violence de-escalation techniques, and how to react should an incident occur. Healthcare organizations should also establish relationships with local police as well as social service and mental health providers, involving them in trainings where applicable.
Outline and evangelize reporting procedures
Employers should also make their adverse event logging and reporting process clear and accessible to all employees, with a defined chain of command. Safety teams at healthcare organizations should ensure every report is investigated, and that feedback is provided to the submitter in a timely fashion, so they are aware of both the investigation and the outcome.
Of course, these workplace safety interventions only scratch the surface of what’s necessary. What other steps can healthcare organizations take to mitigate and respond to workplace violence? We lay them out in our Workplace Violence Prevention Guide for Healthcare.
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