The #MeToo movement demonstrated that violence between colleagues is an internationally relevant phenomenon. Many accounts were characterized by high-profile men in positions of power assaulting female subordinates with few repercussions.

Until now, there has been little representative empirical research on the impacts of workplace related violence on perpetrators, victims, and the wider workforce. Due to data limitations, this literature has been unable to identify the consequences that perpetrators of violence face for assaulting a colleague nor the impacts on the broader firm and the role of management. Is it only the rich and powerful who go unpunished, or do unremarkable managers in nondescript offices also enjoy less severe consequences if they assault a subordinate?

In this What Economists Really Do talk, Professor Abi Adams-Prassl will discuss her new research on violence at work in which she and her co-authors use every police report in Finland to identify assaults between colleagues, and identify the economic consequences of violence for victims, perpetrators, and firms. They find important differences in the labour market consequences of violence depending on the gender of the victim. Tune in to find out more!