Optometry bullying common and often unreported

New UK research has revealed many General Optical Council (GOC) registrants are subject to bullying, harassment, abuse and discrimination at work.

In the GOC’s 2023 registrant workforce and perceptions survey, 41% of respondents reported having experienced harassment, bullying, or abuse at work from patients and service users, their relatives, or other members of the public in the last 12 months. Almost a fifth (18%) reported having experienced harassment, bullying or abuse from managers, while 16% had experienced this treatment from other colleagues. Just 29% of respondents said they or a colleague had reported the experience.

Nearly a quarter of respondents said they had experienced discrimination from patients and service users, their relatives or members of the public. The most common form of discrimination was racial (44%), followed by sex- and age-based discrimination (32% each).

Across all questions on such experiences, respondents aged under 35 and those with a disability were significantly more likely to have experienced negative treatment in the workplace.

The survey also found high levels of burnout, stress and disillusionment, with around one in seven registrants thinking of leaving the profession in the next two years – repeating last year’s results.

Despite this, overall satisfaction levels among respondents remained stable, with 62% saying they were satisfied with their role over the last 12 months – the same figure as in 2022. One-fifth said they felt dissatisfied, down from last year’s 21%.

According to the survey results, rewarding and interesting work, a good working environment and a work-life balance were key drivers for job satisfaction. Student dispensing opticians (DOs), those working in a hospital or in education/academia and those working full-time all reported higher levels of satisfaction.

The reasons most cited for dissatisfaction were not feeling valued, heavy workloads and poor salaries. Workload pressures remain significant, with 52% of respondents saying they work beyond their hours and 37% saying they felt unable to cope with their workload. These results are lower than in the 2022 survey (57% and 41%, respectively), but similar to the 2021 findings.

Steve Brooker, GOC director of regulatory strategy, said while the 2023 public perceptions survey showed high levels of patient satisfaction and confidence in the optical professions, sadly, this is not reflected in the experiences of GOC registrants. “While it is positive to see that overall job satisfaction has remained stable in the past year, the significant and largely unreported levels of bullying, harassment and abuse in the workplace are deeply concerning. It is critical for public protection and patient care that registrants can work in supportive environments without fear of abuse,” he said.

The GOC, a regulator for the optical professions in the UK, already provides guidance for registrants on speaking up when patient or public safety may be at risk. However, the survey findings have prompted the organisation to review its standards of practice and consider changes to support registrants by improving workplace cultures.

The survey was conducted by Enventure Research. Of the respondents, 57% were optometrists, 23% DOs, and 20% were student optometrists or student DOs.