Tackling new forms of violence and harassment against

women at work –
Trade union representatives’ interview grid
Draft, 05.07.2023

The ETUC has entrusted Progressive Policies with the task of carrying out a study exploring the
evolution of workplace violence & harassment against women. The study will particularly explore
new forms of workplace gender-based violence and harassment, their evolution since the
pandemic and, if established, new drivers such as remote work, increase of algorithmic and
surveillance devices. In addition to the study report, we will also produce a trade union guide
compiling recommendations and best practice trade union strategies.

It is now well reported that because it met with broader economic and systemic challenges, the
Covid 19 crisis has had a gender sensitive impact. In particular, trade unions report increasing
incidents of violence and harassment against women within and outside the workplace. Lock-
downs and a weakened capacity of support have had a direct impact on increased domestic
violence. With the increased reliance on telework, domestic violence has become workplace
violence with employers less and less able to guarantee a safe working environment for their
employees.

Frontline workers have also been exposed to violence and harassment. The impact on women
has been sorely felt as many of the professions affected are performed by women. In the EU,
women represent 76% of healthcare workers, roughly 90% of other caring professions (childcare,
elderly care) and 95 % of domestic cleaners and helpers.

The digital sphere is not free from gender biais and gendered discrimination. It has given rise to
new forms of gender-based violence, enabled by ICT and technology, such as cyber-bullying,
cyber-stalking, sexual harassment or forms of image based sexual abuse, such as "upskirting" or
publishing online abusive sexual images, including so-called "deep fakes". As the world of work
moves increasingly online, these forms of cyberviolence and their prevalence in the world of work
has to be explored.

The aim of the present interview is to collect trade union perspectives on new forms of
gender-based violence and harassment at work, key features of legislative frameworks and
strategic recommendations for addressing the issue.

We expect the interview to last around 60 min.

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Exposure to new forms of gender-based
violence at work
Work-related sexual harassment
The following questions enquire about gender-based sexual harassment at work, i.e. any form of
unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

1. Do you observe an increased incidence of sexual harassment directed at female workers?

2. Are there any groups of female workers particularly exposed to sexual harassment (e.g.
young women, women of colour)?
3. What in your view are the main drivers or conducive environments of sexual harassment
directed at women at work?

Domestic Violence
The following questions enquire about domestic violence as a workplace issue.

4. Has there been observed in your country a recent increase in domestic violence directed at
female workers who work from home or any connection between telework and domestic
violence? As far as possible, please provide data or estimations.

4a. What in your view are the main drivers and/ or conducive environment for this recent
increase? (e.g. cost-of-living crisis, austerity measures, COVID-19 induced, other drivers)

Gender-based Third Party Violence

The following questions enquire about physical and psychological violence at women that is
perpetrated by persons outside the work organisation. This may be people with a direct link to the
victim or the victims’ employer, like customers, clients, patients, passengers, or students, but also
people without such a relation.

5. Has there been observed in your country a recent increase in third-party violence directed at
female workers? As far as possible, please provide data or estimations.

5a. Have certain sectors and groups of female workers been particularly affected? As far as
possible, please provide data or estimations.

5b. What in your view are the main drivers and/ or conducive environment for this recent
increase? (e.g. cost-of-living crisis, austerity measures, COVID-19 induced, other drivers)

5c. Are you aware of third-party violence with use of electronic devices / by means of ICT
(such as so-called “prank videos”, often livestreamed on the internet)?

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Gender-based Cyberviolence
The following questions enquire about actions by one or more people that harm others based on
their sexual or gender identity or by enforcing harmful gender norms. This action is carried out
using the internet and/or mobile technology and includes:

Cyber-stalking: incorporates the use of technology-enabled devices (computers, smartphones,

etc.) and platforms (e.g., email, messaging, social media) to continually gather information on the
targeted worker.

Cyber-bullying: a situation where over time, an individual is repeatedly subjected to perceived

negative acts conducted through technology (e.g. phone, email, web sites and social media) which
are related to their work context. In this situation the target of workplace cyber-bullying has
difficulty defending herself against these actions.

Sexual harassment: sharing of intimate or manipulated material (image-based sexual abuse), of

pornographic image, upskirting (taking photographs underneath a woman's skirt or dress without
consent).

Cyber-incitement to hatred or violence: in the work context it is understood as sharing or

posting of content that incites hate or discrimination on the grounds of gender. This also includes
hateful, deragotory or dehumanising messages on the grounds of gender sent via email or other
ICT toos.

6. Has there been observed in your country a recent increase in cyber-violence addressed at
female workers? As far as possible, please provide official data or estimation.
6a. What are in your view the main drivers and/ or conducive environment for this recent
increase? (e.g.: remote work, increased digitalization of work processes, other)

7. Based on data or your observations, which types of cyberviolence are most frequently
directed at female workers?

8. Are there groups of female workers particularly exposed to cyberviolence (e.g. young
women)?

AI Management and gender profiling

The following quesitons enquire about the empolyer use of ariticial algorithms in HR management,
such as decisions on hiring, promotions, dismissal, potentially discriminating against female
workers.

9. Have there been observed in your country instances of AI algorithms discriminating against
women at work? As far as possible, please provide official data or estimation.

9a. Please specify the way or ways in which AI discrimination is taking place (e.g.: in
recruitment of candidates, promotion of female workers, setting rates of female platform
workers etc.)

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 9b. Are there any groups of women particularly exposed to discrimination in HR processes
operated by AI algorithms (e.g. ageing women, women of colour)? As far as possible,
please provide official data or estimation.

Digital surveillance and gender

The following questions enquire about employer use of digital tools to monitor workers’
performance, potentially discriminating against female workers.

10. Is your union aware of digital surveillance tools used to monitor workers' performance (e.g.
via active camera when workers telework, software monitoring task performance or electronic
wearables)?

10a. Do you observe that digital surveillance tends be used more frequently towards female
than male workers?

10b. Please broadly describe how is digital surveillance taking place towards female
workers.

10c. Are there any groups of women particularly exposed to increased digital surveillance
at work (e.g. ageing women, women of colour)? As far as possible, please provide official
data or estimation.

11. Are there any laws or collective bargaining agreements regulating digital surveillance in your
country?

Measures addressing new forms of

gender-based violence at work
Legal Frameworks
The following questions enquire about existing legal measures preventing and addressing new
forms of gender-based violence at work.

12. Are the above-mentioned forms of gender-based violence recognised as work-related issues
in your country?

12a. If so, are there legal frameworks addressing forms of gender-based violence at work?

13. Are there any laws covering support to victims of the above-mentioned forms of gender-based
violence, such as e.g. compensation, paid leave, psychological support?

14. In your view, are national legal frameworks sufficient to prevent and address the above-
mentioned forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, at work?

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 15. If not, what legal measures would you like to be introduced?

16. Have there recently been introduced any new laws in response to work-related cyberviolence
in your country?

17. To what extent do the relevant laws in force enable / disable trade unions’ actions in
preventing and addressing the above mentioned forms of gender-based violence?

Workplace Practices
The following questions enquire about workplace policy, including social dialogue and collective
bargaining, related to the incidence, reporting, victim support and prevention of the forms of
gender-based violence at work.

18. Are all of the above-mentioned forms of gender-based violence recognised as workplace
issues by your organisation?

19. Which of the above-mentioned forms of gender-based violence have been addressed by your
organisation?

20. Do you consider addressing some of the discussed forms of gender-based violence more a
priority than others?

21. Does your organisation offer support to victims reporting the experience of gender-based
violence at work (e.g. flexible work arrangements, paid leave, financial support)?

22. What type of measures is your organisation pursuing at workplace and/ or through (sectoral)
collective bargaining to address the above-mentioned forms of gender-based violence at
work? Please provide any relevant materials developed by organisation.

23. Are there examples of good workplace practices in addressing forms of gender-based
violence, including social dialogue and collective bargaining? Please provide an example of a
CBA, if possible.

24. Are the forms of gender-based violence at work treated as an organisational safety and health
issue?

25. If so, what kind of prevention measures are applied (e.g. gender-based violence included in
trainings of OSH representatives, anti-GBV harassment policy, positive psychosocial climate
policy)?

26. What are the main workplace factors that prevent trade unions from addressing the forms of
gender-based violence at work?

27. What are the main external factors that prevent trade unions from addressing the forms of
gender-based violence at work (e.g. legal, institutional, cultural factors)?

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28. Are workers and their representatives consulted on the use of AI or digital surveillance to
monitor their work and manage HR processes?

28a. Do workers have an access to the type of data that is collected on them?

28b. Are there workplace procedures facilitating worker appeal against the decisions made by
AI algorithms used in HR management?

Final questions

29. What are the needs of trade unions in protecting workers from the discussed forms of gender-
based violence and harassment at work?

30. What would be the strategic recommendations for the trade union guidance on tackling the
forms of gender-based violence at work?

31. Do you have any other comments?