Physical abuse is on the increase

Physical violence and, to a lesser extent, sexual abuse, continue to be a problem for a minority of people working in hospitality. One in six people taking part in the survey say they have been physically abused by a colleague - that's 20% of the men and 18% of the women. The percentage is up from 13% in 1994 to 16% now.

There has also been a slight increase, from 30% to 33%, in the number who have been physically abused by a customer. This group comprises 37% of the men and 22% of the women.

Violence, whether from a customer or from a colleague, is more of a problem in restaurants and pubs than in other establishments.

A welcome shift in the other direction shows fewer people (4% now, compared with 9% in 1994) saying they have been a victim of sexual assault at work. This 4% is made up of 2% of the men and 9% of the women in the survey.

There is considerable fear associated with this problem - a point emphasised by the fact that, of those who admit anonymously in this survey to having been sexually assaulted, only one-third reported it at the time.

These are extreme cases involving a small number of people, but the stresses of working in hospitality are felt by a much bigger proportion.

Seven out of 10 say they live with a partner. The proportion of people in such relationships ranges from 65% in hotels to 77% in catering contracts. But among head office staff, the proportion is 84%. Of the 70% in relationships, 43% (or 30% of the total sample) say their partners also work in hospitality.

But 38% of the total (or 54% of the people in relationships) say the jobs they do have a detrimental effect on their relationships with their partners.