Gap in executive awareness as lone workers face increased aggression

Lone workers (defined as anyone who works by themselves ‘without close or direct supervision’) are an often undercounted and underrepresented group in the UK’s workforce. The detailed EcoOnline report estimates that between seven and nine million individuals work alone, with 46% of executives expecting this number to grow in the coming years. However, working alone is becoming increasingly dangerous: 64% of organisations have experienced incidents involving lone workers in the past three years alone.

This year’s report highlights significant discrepancies between executives’ views and the actual experiences of lone workers. According to the survey, lone workers identified violence and aggression as their greatest risk, with 46% reporting an increase in incidents over the last two-to-three years. This is reflected in incident reports, which show that violence accounts for 20% of all reported incidents, a figure that has doubled since 2023.

On the other hand, executives are more concerned about workers being in remote areas without a mobile signal, with 50% identifying this as the top risk, placing violence as a secondary concern.

Key findings

When it comes to risk management, 46% of those executives surveyed believe lone workers are adequately included in risk assessments, compared to only 30% of lone workers. While over half of the executives questioned believe risk assessments occur regularly, only 31% of lone workers agree.

In 2024, 50% of executives report that safety is prioritised equally to financial targets and 18% believe it’s prioritised even higher. However, 29% of lone workers feel that safety is given less priority than financial goals, while 17% of executives agree with them. 

Executives are increasingly recognising workplace violence as the top future challenge, with 67% of them predicting that lone worker safety will grow in importance over the coming years.

Clear gap

Speaking about the research, EcoOnline’s chief customer officer Helen Jones explained: “Lone workers are facing more risks than ever before. There’s a clear gap between how executives and workers perceive these risks. As such, it’s important for employers to seize the opportunity and bridge that gap.”

Jones added: “Business leaders must align safety measures with the realities lone workers face by being proactive and ensuring teams are aware of policies and risk assessments, can give input on processes and have the right support in place. Through transparency and technology, we can significantly reduce risks and keep lone workers safe.”

*Download the Lone Worker Landscape Report 2024 by visiting the EcoOnline website at www.ecoonline.com

**EcoOnline partnered with Illuma Research to develop a questionnaire and survey upwards of 1,200 lone workers and executives responsible for safety in their organisations. The aim of this research was to identify any developing trends in lone working in 2024 and specifically how many organisations have policies and procedures in place relating to lone workers, the level of communication and training given to lone workers, the risks faced by lone workers, wow organisations manage the risks faced by lone workers and lone worker incident rates