Hostility in hospitality
Workplace violence and aggression is any incident where a person is abused, threatened or assaulted at work or while they are carrying out work. Workers may face violence and harassment in any workplace and from any person in that workplace. There is a range of unwanted behaviours that can occur varying from offensive remarks to violence. Violence can be either internal to the organisation or from external sources.
There are different people in the workplace that may act violently towards workers. Perpetrators can include members of the public, clients or customers, and co-workers or supervisors and it is a serious risk that no employee can afford to ignore.
Whether your team works in customer-facing roles, high pressure environments or behind the scene, protecting one’s staff from threats, abuse, or physical harm is a legal and moral obligation. Understanding your responsibilities and knowing how to prevent, respond to and manage incidents –can make the difference in keeping one’s employees safe and one’s business compliant.
Whilst anyone can be subject to workplace violence, which can occur in any industry, certain occupations are more vulnerable than others. At particularly high risk are job roles that involve working with the public, that open after dark or that serves alcohol.This puts workers in the service industry such as hospitality staff most at risk.
Employers and managers must know the effects of workplace violence hazards. Managers and supervisors are accountable for developing preventative measures in consultation with employees; making sure that preventative measures are understood by employees; and the preventative measures are monitored and are working.
Keeping workers safe from harm at the workplace is the duty of all employers, leaders and managers. But that didn’t appear to be the case when a security manager of the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo brazenly turned violent towards two hotel trainees in the course of an internal investigation. The security manager was arrested in early December 2025 for allegedly assaulting two trainees. The incident captured on video went viral on social media - sparking widespread condemnation online, with many calling for severe action against the manager and accountability for the hotel management.
When people commit violent acts it is usually not a unique occurrence; they often have a history of violent behaviour. Although employers may not know who they are, statistics say there are probably batterers working for your company right now. And according to one study, their abusive habits often crossover into the workplace.
Employers need to heed potential workforce “time bombs” including those they can’t hear ticking. Most often the focus is on rank and file staff, but as in the Taj hotel incident, even department managers can ‘explode’ inside their organisations.
Hence, keeping the workplace safe from violent incidents requires hospitality operators to be able to identify warning signs and risk factors. But the work starts before that; it starts with the hiring and employee monitoring processes.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Mystery Guest Auditor, Ex-Hotelier
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