Summary

Home care workers often work alone and are geographically distant from colleagues, managers, and security services, placing them at a high risk for client-initiated violence. Studies have shown that home care workers are subjected to significant degrees of such violence, yet there is an indication of underreporting. Based on 25 individual and group interviews with 79 staff from various types of home care services in Sweden this study aims to enhance our understanding of why home care workers choose to report or not report violence.

Findings

Using a theoretical lens of emotional labor, the findings reveal that, in the face of violence, workers manage their emotions in accordance with organizational and professional norms. This contributes to and perpetuates a view of client-initiated violence as something that workers should endure, manage, and prevent, rather than acknowledge and report. In the long run, this idea shifts the focus away from the organization and its responsibilities, redirecting it toward the individual worker.

Applications

As the findings suggest that violence is often minimized and normalized, finding a common definition of client-initiated violence in the organization could relieve workers from having to define and, at worst, reinterpret violent incidents. Furthermore, norms contributing to an understanding of violence as a professional failure should be addressed. Organizations and cultures that facilitate swift reporting, provide organizational support and work against the stigmatization of those who report are likely to create safer and better work situations for their home care workers.