Violence is very common in the care sector. In a survey commissioned by Tehy in 2021, 69% of the respondents had experienced violence or the threat thereof during their career. 39% stated that reporting the violent incident did not lead to any measures being taken.
Additionally, when Tehy collected accounts of violence experienced by nurses for the Nyrkkisääntö (lit. ‘Rule of Fist’) book published in 2023, it was discovered that not all employees who experience violence report it to their employer.
– Inaction by the employer too often leads to nurses having to lick their wounds alone. This cannot go on! The employer cannot choose which cases of violence to react to. It must thoroughly investigate every hit, kick or threat against a nurse and make sure that it will never happen again, says Tehy President Millariikka Rytkönen.
One reason for nurses not reporting violence was that many of them had had experiences of the employer not taking any measures in response to their reports.
– Nurses feel that there is not much use in reporting. Even though the employee had appropriately reported a violent incident, the reporting did not help eliminate violence or improve occupational safety, Rytkönen comments.
Tehy wants to point out that the employer cannot assume that the staff can take any abuse for reasons such as the employer choosing to not fulfil its legally prescribed duty to provide its employees with a safe workplace.
Reporting is the best defence
Tehy wants to remind and encourage its members to report any incidents of violence to the employer and the police if necessary. Accordingly, the slogan for this year’s Black-Eyed Day campaign is ‘reporting is the best defence.’
Tehy continues to work towards a legislative amendment that would protect social welfare and healthcare professionals as well as officials, such as police officers.
Tehy lawyer Inka Lehtinen comments that it is of the utmost importance that care workers receive as much protection against workplace violence as officials, such as police officers and doctors.
– Every act of violence in the workplace is a crime, and this legislative amendment can eliminate the phenomenon. Tehy urges the government to take this legislative action, included in the Government Programme, as soon as possible, Lehtinen says.
Legally prescribed occupational safety responsibilities are shared by all employers – not only by the community as a whole, but by individual supervisors as well.
– For this reason, every report really is the best defence. The employer has a legally prescribed obligation to remedy any known occupational safety issues – under threat of being charged with an occupational safety crime if need be, Lehtinen adds.
The protection provided at the legislative level is strict, but in practice, it requires light to be shed on problems and employees to actively demand these protective measures from the employer.
One year ago, Tehy launched its Black-Eyed Day campaign against violence towards nurses.
For further information:
Inka Lehtinen, [email protected], tel. +358 40 525 9895.