The charity Retail Trust has surveyed 1200 workers, and found that 47% fear for their safety and 39% want to leave their jobs or the industry altogether due to the rise in violent and abusive incidents.
Nearly half (48%) said they do not get enough support from their employer to deal with the current levels of violence, threats and abuse. Among those who felt unsupported, the number of people considering quitting rose to 56%, while three quarters (73%) said they feel unsafe as a result.
Affected workers have been urged to take part in free skills training being offered by the Retail Trust in November, which aims to help shop staff across the country manage another expected rise in abusive behaviour during the busy festive shopping period.
The Retail Trust is running free training sessions online and in London from 12-14th November to arm shop staff with new skills to manage challenging in-store situations this Christmas and deal with any difficult experiences. Retail workers can apply to take part here.
The Retail Trust’s respect retail campaign, backed by major retailers including H&M, bp, Frasers Group and Holland & Barrett, will also support businesses to bring in new measures to help staff and adopt a zero-tolerance approach to abuse. H&M will donate the proceeds of its carrier bag levy during November to help the Retail Trust roll out its free training. Others supporting the campaign include the BRC and Usdaw.
“The incidents we hear about every day are both horrifying and heartbreaking,” says Chris Brook-Carter, the Retail Trust's chief executive. “People tell us they have been spat on, had products smashed up in front of them and been filmed on their phones by abusive shoppers who then threaten to post the footage on social media.
“Thousands are contacting us to say they’re now being forced to consider leaving a job they love and often have worked in for many years because they no longer feel safe there.
“This unacceptable behaviour will only get worse unless more people are empowered to speak up, better supported to deal with their experiences and most of all, get the protection they need. I believe that retail can still be an amazing place to build a career but we know that even just one terrible encounter can overshadow a hundred kind interactions.
“As a charity, we’re working with more than 200 retailers and many are now taking this extremely seriously by introducing new support, security and dealing more closely with the police to report this criminal behaviour. We want to work with even more businesses going forward to stand together against this abuse. And I’d urge anyone who needs more help dealing with their experiences to call the Retail Trust’s wellbeing helpline or apply to take part in our free training during November.”
Retail Trust to run free training to protect shop workers
