Workplace harassment doubled from 2018 to 2022 in healthcare industry

Workplace harassment has increased in the healthcare industry in the United States. U.S. health care workers were dealing with more than double the rate of workplace harassment in 2022 compared to 2018.

According to the new survey published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vital Signs report, 13.4% of health workers said they were harassed at work in 2022. It was important to note that only 6.4% of healthcare workers were harassed at work in 2018.

What is harassment at the workplace?

Harassment at the workplace means “threats, bullying, and verbal abuse.” When employers verbally abuse employees, it creates a hostile work environment. 

According to the findings, published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vital Signs report, harassed workers also faced intense anxiety, depression and burnout from work. Workplace harassment also led to poorer mental health among employees.

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Health care workers suffer workplace harassment

Health care workers suffered intense workplace harassment. Due to staff shortages at various hospitals, healthcare workers suffered harassment at the workplace. Excessive work led to burnout and poor mental health.

The United States has been experiencing an unprecedented shortage of nurses, which is contributing to burnout and low morale among healthcare workers.

Reportedly, the United States needs over 200,000 new registered nurses every year until 2030 to meet the demand.

Due to longer working hours, workers and health-related professions have faced intense problems at the workplace. The CDC analyzed data from the General Social Survey Quality of Worklife Module to compare self-reported mental health symptoms from 2018 to 2022. The report noted that the workers witnessed poor mental health during the past 30 days, which increased from 3.3 days to 4.5 days.

The workers also faced severe bullying, verbal abuse, or certain actions from patients or coworkers leading to a hostile work environment in hospitals.