Factors associated with abuse in the workplace in Bangladesh: An empirical investigation

Workplace abuse is a much-discussed global phenomenon in the world of work. Bangladesh, being a developing country that relies heavily on its labor resource, should have definite methods to protect the workers’ rights and safety. Unfortunately, weak frameworks are in place to prevent it, and the lack of awareness among the workers is helping the problem to establish its roots more firmly. Despite the gravity of workplace abuse and its consequences, comprehensive studies for addressing or understanding the problem at a national level is difficult to find in the context of Bangladesh. Using the latest nationally representative survey namely the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) 2016–17, this study attempts to bridge the existing gaps through an empirical investigation of the factors associated with workplace abuse in Bangladesh. A total of 16,646 participants with males of 75.9% and females of 24.1% are used for the analysis. A probit model analysis has been applied in this paper to explore how the workers’ demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, as well as workplace features, may be associated with experiencing abuse in the workplace. The study finds that younger, less educated, females, elementary job-holders, non-governmental organization workers or those who work in the manufacturing, or services sector are more likely to be abused in the workplace. The study also concludes that the number of workers employed, and the hazardous workplace environment may be related to the probability of being abused. Furthermore, this study shows that full-time workers, workers who are employed temporarily or have an oral contract may face abuse in the workplace more.