Lived experience research: exploring optometrists and dispensing opticians in the UK facing harassment, bullying, abuse or discrimination at work

The research, carried out by Explain Market Research, includes 38 in-depth interviews with optometrists and dispensing opticians. All had experience of harassment, bullying, abuse or discrimination at work – either as a single issue or had experienced multiple issues. It was commissioned following the findings from recent GOC registrant surveys which highlight the high incidence of bullying, harassment, abuse and discrimination in the optical workplace. 

Main findings

The interviews revealed the complexities of mistreatment and its potential long-term implications:  

• Workplace culture: Participants identified a loss of job satisfaction over recent years due to an increase in workload, commercial pressures and interprofessional dynamics. 

• Mistreatment in the workplace: Participants discussed experiences with physical, verbal or cyber bullying; discrimination based on gender, religion, race or sexuality; harassment at work, typically in the form of sexual harassment; and abusive comments and aggressive behaviours from patients. 

Participants also discussed the impacts of experiencing mistreatment at work relating to harassment, bullying, abuse or discrimination. These included:  

• Mental health impacts (e.g. experiencing stress, anxiety and/or depression) 

• Physical symptoms (such as dizziness, migraines) 

• Personal life impacts (such as a change in their self-confidence/self-esteem) 

• Reduced engagement in their work and/or career progression. 

Barriers to speaking up

Several barriers were identified to disclosing negative experiences, including:  

• Not being able to find the right person to raise concerns to 

• Worry about adverse impacts of reporting, such as threatening their reputation or career prospect 

• Concern about reporting behaviour with no evidence 

• Low faith in change. 

Participants' suggested actions

Participants also discussed ways in which they thought bullying, harassment, abuse and discrimination could be effectively addressed in the workplace, such as:   

• A roadmap of what to do if they experience these behaviours 

• An established leader within this roadmap to address concerns 

• Peer support 

• Career-long education regarding how to recognise and act upon mistreatment 

• Leadership from the GOC to provide industry wide communication of both expectations of appropriate behaviour and consequences if these expectations are breached.