Impact of Workplace Harassment on Employee Retention among Blue Collar Workers in the Apparel Industry of the Gampaha District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

: This research investigates the prevalence of workplace harassment and its impact on employee retention among blue-collar workers in Sri Lankan apparel companies, specifically within the Gampaha district. The primary objective of this research is to analyze the impact of workplace harassment on employee retention among blue-collar workers in the apparel companies of the Gampaha district. Addressing a research gap where the existing body of knowledge focuses primarily on white-collar professions, with a lack of comprehensive research on how harassment manifests and affects blue-collar workers within the apparel industry, this study uses a quantitative approach. Furthermore, it addresses the gap in research on the broader issue of workplace harassment and its impact on employee retention within Gampaha's apparel industry, where individual studies exist on types of harassment (verbal abuse, physical intimidation, unfair treatment) but lack a holistic view. Data was derived from a survey of 366 blue-collar workers in 5 selected companies in the Gampaha District. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection, and the cluster sampling method was used to create the sampling framework. The study aims to analyze the impact of workplace harassment on employee retention, investigate the impact of verbal abuse, sexual harassment, bullying, and discrimination on employee retention among blue-collar workers. The findings reveal a significant negative association between workplace harassment and employee retention. Verbal abuse and workplace discrimination have a strong negative impact on employee retention. Factors influencing the reluctance to report sexual harassment include fear of retaliation, lack of support, cultural or societal norms, and lack of awareness. A significant positive association between workplace bullying and employee retention was also found, indicating that a work environment where employees feel supported by their hierarchical superiors islikely to tolerate workplace bullying. Based on these findings, the study recommends that organizations in the Sri Lankan apparel industry implement comprehensive anti-harassment policies, create a positive work environment, provide training and education, investigate complaints thoroughly, offer support to victims, monitor and evaluate, and involve employees in the process. This research underscores the importance of anti-harassment and offers a roadmap for empowering anti-harassment policies.