Violence or abuse of retail staff in Scotland has increased by 78% over the last three years, with some experts believing the true number of attacks might be even higher.
The latest figures from Retailers Against Crime show 892 incidents of retail crime involving violence or abuse of staff were recorded in Scotland last year – an increase of 78% in the past three years.
Shopworkers union Usdaw believes the situation may even be worse than the official figures show, estimating a member of retail staff is verbally or physically attacked every minute of the working day.
Now staff and employers are to be offered more support to help tackle the issue.
As part of its efforts to improve the health of people at work, The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives has appointed a national Violence Prevention Manager to address workplace violence.
Linda Shanahan will work with employers and representative groups across Scotland to help reduce incidents of workplace violence and the retail industry will be a key focus.
Employers, managers and staff working in the sector will be offered support to assess the level of abuse from clients and customers and encouraged to take effective steps to protect staff.
Shanahan said: “Unfortunately verbal and physical abuse in the workplace is more common than most of us imagine, particularly in public-facing industries such as retail.
“In the current economic climate, when customers are under more financial pressure, the risk is even higher.
“The consequences of work-related violence are wide ranging and can have a negative impact on the physical or mental health of staff.
“This can also result in extra costs for the business from absenteeism and can lead to difficulties in staff retention.
“Employers have a duty to protect their staff and the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives can provide them with the support they need to do this; to determine the extent of the problem in their workplace and work with staff put measures in place to deal with it effectively.”
Violence at work covers any incident in which an employee is verbally or physically abused, threatened or assaulted at their work by a member of the public.
It is estimated that 38% of people working in a public-facing occupation in Scotland have suffered verbal abuse by a member of the public in the last 12 months.
Many of these incidents have gone unreported due to a lack of robust reporting procedures or perceptions about the inevitability of being abused.
In the retail industry, abusive incidents are often linked to retail crime (shoplifting or robbery), to staff refusing to sell age-restricted goods, such as alcohol or cigarettes or when goods are being returned.
However, experts point out that the reasons for verbal abuse of retail staff including threats are many and come from all sections of society.
Lawrence Wason, Scottish divisional officer of Usdaw, said: “Most people working in the retail industry have experienced verbal or physical violence at some point in their careers.
“It could be a customer becoming abusive regarding a proof of age or a shoplifter becoming aggressive or even violent if they are challenged by staff.
“None of these incidents is acceptable – being abused at work, whether that’s physical or verbal, is not just part of the job.
“There is a small minority of shoppers who think it is acceptable to swear and threaten shop workers and this needs to be tackled.
“We welcome the fact that this issue is being addressed at a national level and look forward to working with the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives to take this forward.”
The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives is currently developing materials to help protect staff from verbal and physical abuse and has been working with a range of employers to identify the perceived barriers to fully protecting staff working in this field.
For further information on the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives, visit www.healthyworkinglives.com or call the adviceline on 0800 019 2211.
The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives was established in 2005 as part of NHS Scotland.
It can offer advice on the latest health and safety legislation, occupational health support and help with health promotion.
For a free and confidential advice or to arrange a workplace visit, please call the adviceline on 0800 019 2211.
