The purpose of the systematic literature review was to collate and enhance knowledge about work-related crime and its consequences for the work environment, primarily from an employee perspective. Our questions is: – How does work-related crime affect the work environment for employees in different industries?
This systematic literature review is one of few that focuses on the employee perspective on the work environment in workplaces where work-related crime occurs and collates existing research within the field. The results demonstrate that, regardless of their sex or the industry in which they work, workers are exploited in various ways, and there are many deficiencies in their work environments.
Primarily shortcomings in the organisational and social work environment
Employees report that the main deficiencies lie within the organisational and social work environment. Across sectors, it is consistently described that the work environment is marked by high demands and low influence. High demands include physically strenuous work, a high pace and workload, long shifts, and few or no breaks or days off. It is not uncommon for these high demands to result in workers experiencing a sense of exclusion and isolation from the rest of society. Additionally, employees describe having low control and minimal influence over their work, with few or no opportunities to impact anything within their workplace. Several also describe a work environment where workers are treated differently based on appearance, background, or migration status.
Working in extreme heat was the most commonly reported deficiency in the physical work environment. Despite a highly challenging work environment with extreme heat, there are very limited opportunities for recovery, ventilation to cool down, or access to drinking water.
Exploitation of workers
In several sectors, employers pay lower wages than agreed upon, and in some cases, wages for overtime work are not paid at all. Delayed payment of wages or complete non-payment also occurs. Additionally, some workers enter into agreements they do not fully understand, often due to language barriers, which leads to them working more than they planned or being assigned very few working hours. It also happens that workers believe they have a formal employment contract when they do not, meaning they cannot benefit from the social security system.
Men and women face different risks
Studies indicate that men and women are exposed to different risks. In male-dominated sectors such as transport, construction, and civil engineering, risks often pertain to safety. Lack of skills and experience in the trade, negative attitudes towards safety regulations, and insufficient language skills are factors that may increase the risk of injury. In female-dominated occupations, such as healthcare, social care, hospitality, and catering, workers are more frequently exposed to sexual harassment.
Read the the systematic literature review “The Impact of Work-related Crime on the Work Environment”