UK shop workers and delivery drivers will receive free training to help them handle abusive customers in the run up to Christmas, following new research showing British retail businesses face a £7.8 billion bill to replace employees most at risk of quitting their jobs.
Research for the Retail Trust’s health of retail report found that over 1.5 million retail workers, 41 per cent of the workforce, were at risk of quitting last year, due to unhappiness around issues like abuse in shops, while the average cost of replacing a retail worker is £5,195.
The Retail Trust is running three online sessions to help more shop staff deal with the rise in antisocial and threatening behaviour, with the first scheduled for Tuesday 21 October.
Attendees will be shown how to adjust their body language, tone of voice and choice of words to manage challenging situations, and how to recover following an incident.
One in 10 managers feel powerless to support their staff
Two thirds (66 per cent) of retail managers surveyed for the health of retail report said customer abuse had impacted their team's wellbeing over the last year.
More than one in 10 (11 per cent) felt powerless to support staff, but nearly half (43 per cent) said that training, company policies and reporting systems were helping.
Four in five retail leaders interviewed for the report said their companies have updated their approach to customer abuse and added or introduced new ways for staff to report incidents to managers.
Others said they had reviewed their returns processes to reduce customer frustration, outlawed lone working and stopped selling higher value items most at risk of theft.
The new training builds on further free training provided by the Retail Trust in June this year and November 2024, and nearly 2,000 retail workers have already taken part.
‘Training to help retail workers deal with abuse should be mandatory’
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust said, “Thoughtless, unkind and aggressive behaviour is having a significant impact on the wellbeing of British retail workers and could lead to many dropping out of the workforce, so it’s clear we need to take action now.
"Retail leaders we spoke to for the Retail Trust’s health of retail report told us their staff face a wide range of abuse, from disrespectful signs of impatience and rude comments to unacceptable outbursts, violent assaults and theft.
“The new standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker should lead to much-needed shifts in how criminal behaviour is handled by the police but it will do little to lessen the impact of what I’ve heard described as ‘everyday abuse’, such as rudeness and hostility.
"We believe that shop workers and delivery drivers must be shown more respect and that training to help them deal with all forms of abuse should now be mandatory.”
The Retail Trust’s free training is being run online on 21, 22 and 23 October, with each 15-minute session also available to watch on demand until 31 October. It forms part of the Retail Trust’s Let’s respect retail campaign to end abuse and support staff and people can register to take part by visiting retailtrust.org.uk/respect.
One in six retail workers also struggle to meet monthly outgoings
Further research for the Retail Trust’s health of retail report found that the cost of living is also having an impact on workers’ wellbeing, with 39 per cent blamed cost of living increases for a deterioration in their mental health and 17 per cent struggling to meet monthly outgoings, the same number that said they were struggling in 2024.
71 per cent said they had cut down on their spending to help deal with rising prices.
60 per cent said they were also experiencing anxiety, worry and fear due to the uncertainty facing the retail industry and their own jobs.
Meanwhile, half of all retail leaders interviewed for the report said the high cost of living was also having a bigger impact on their staff this year and agreed the fear of redundancy is one of the major factors impacting their employees’ wellbeing.
One chief people officer told the Retail Trust, “Inflation is stabilising, but people are still struggling more with the cost of surviving, rather than the cost of living.” Other retailers told of colleagues having to choose between the cost of getting to work and feeding themselves.
The Retail Trust works with more than 200 retail employers to improve the mental health of their staff and has partnered with Foot Anstey, Sabio Group and Reveal to create its latest health of retail report. Over 1,300 retail workers were surveyed and leaders from 20 household name retailers were interviewed for the report.