EMPLOYEES with disabilities are twice as likely to be attacked at work and experience higher rates of insults, ridicule and intimidation, a new study has found.
Researchers from the Cardiff School of Social Sciences and the Business School at Plymouth University found that people with physical or psychological disabilities or long-term illness reported higher rates of 21 types of ill-treatment than other workers did. These included being given impossible deadlines and being ignored, gossiped about or teased.
“Up to now, researchers have generally assumed that ill-treatment in the workplace was causing disabilities and health problems. Our work suggests ill-treatment happens to employees who already have disabilities or health problems,” said Professor Ralph Fevre, Cardiff School of Social Sciences.
Of the people questioned during the study, 10.5 per cent said they had suffered physical violence at work, compared with 4.5 per cent of people without disabilities or long-term illness.
And 7.4 per cent said they had been injured at work as a result of aggression, compared with 3.5 per cent of people without disabilities or long-term illness.
Another 12.3 per cent said they had been humiliated or ridiculed at work, compared with 7.4 per cent of people without disabilities or long-term illness.
