Violence against women isn’t just in the headlines: it’s also prevalent in office hallways, in workgroups, at meetings, and in the silence it creates. On this day, more than ever, we need to examine what is happening in our organizations and how we can change it.
At Grow – gender and work, we have been supporting companies and organizations from different industries in building fairer working environments without violence for years. And what is often repeated is the difficulty of recognizing violence when it is not explicitly shown. Because it does not always appear as a call or threat: sometimes it is expressed in excessive demands, exclusion or “harmless” comments.
According to a survey developed jointly with MundoSur in 2024, 96% of respondents have experienced or witnessed at least one situation of workplace violence. This number confirms the magnitude of a phenomenon that cuts across all industries, sectors, hierarchies and identities. The report shows that perceptions of workplace violence increased by 9% between 2021 and 2024, indicating a greater recognition of what was previously naturalized, but also that prevention mechanisms remain inadequate.
Workplace violence not only affects the health and well-being of the people who experience it. It also worsens the organizational climate, increases turnover, leads to absenteeism and affects productivity. Against this background, companies and organizations can and must act. That’s why we’re sharing five keys that can help you take concrete steps toward healthier workplaces.
1. Measure and know what to do: You can’t transform what you don’t know. By conducting internal diagnostics, we can identify what types of violence are occurring, between whom, and whether the channels for advice and reporting are known or reliable. In our regional survey, 72% of respondents said they did not know whether their organization had reporting channels in place, highlighting a critical gap between formal engagement and daily practice. Measuring and listening is the first step to acting on information rather than intuition.
2. Have an up-to-date and accessible policy or protocol: Clear rules that establish responsibilities, deadlines and support mechanisms are essential. The existence of a specific anti-violence policy or protocol that is known and applied is a sign of institutional commitment. When people know what to do and who to turn to, prevention is no longer an ideal but an everyday practice.
3. Train leadership and outreach teams: Leaders are those who can recognize and stop a practice of violence or, on the contrary, legitimize or carry it out through their silence. Training in leading respectful and non-violent teams is of central importance. It is also necessary to train the teams that receive and process requests and complaints to avoid re-victimization and ensure adequate support.
4. Raising awareness of the entire organization: Prevention is not limited to a lecture or a campaign: it is integrated into everyday life. In the workshops we facilitate, many people are surprised to find that they recognize practices that they have always considered normal and that often made them uncomfortable, but that were not identified as violence. It is important to raise awareness to denature these situations. It’s about opening conversations and encouraging yourself to look differently at what has been considered part of work culture for years.
5. Monitor and act accordingly: Assessing the impact of policies, reviewing procedures and following up on cases are essential to building trust and guiding the steps to be followed. And act accordingly, because monitoring is not just about measuring, but also about showing that the organization is learning from the findings and improving.
These steps are in the spirit of ILO Convention 190, which recognizes the right to work free from violence and harassment. The real challenge is bringing it to life in every organization and team.
Eliminating violence in the workplace is not only an ethical and legal obligation, but also an opportunity to create more humane, creative and sustainable work spaces.
*Grow Violence Area Coordinator – Gender and Work.
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