Only 1 in 5 retail workers satisfied with official response to abuse or violence at work, Home Affairs Committee survey finds
8 Jun 2021 10:40 AM
A survey of over 12,000 retail workers has found that only 1 in 5 shopworkers who reported incidents of abuse or violence were satisfied with the official response from the police or their employer.
The Home Affairs Committee has published the findings of its survey, which asked retail and other shopworkers to share their experiences of incidents of violence and abuse. Two thirds of those who reported incidents suggested no help was given to them after receiving an initial response from their employer or the police.
The Committee asked retail workers about the frequency of incidents, how these were reported, what action was taken by the police or employers and what should be done to prevent abuse in future. The majority of respondents had both witnessed and experienced verbal or physical abuse at work.
The survey found that 87% of respondents had reported incidents to their employer but, in 45% of these cases, no further action was taken. Half of respondents reported incidents to the police, of which only 12% led to an arrest.
A third of respondents did not report incidents to their employer because they believed nothing would be done or it was ‘just part of the job’. Over a quarter did not report incidents because they believed the police would not do anything about it.
Respondents felt that better security at retail premises and more severe punishments for offenders would help prevent incidents in the future.
The public survey was held as part of the committee’s inquiry into ‘Violence and abuse towards retail workers’. The findings were published ahead of yesterday’s Westminster Hall debate on an e-petition calling for more protection for retail workers.
Chair's comment
The Committee’s Chair, Yvette Cooper MP, yesterday said:
“During the Covid crisis, we’ve seen an appalling and unacceptable increase in reported attacks and abuse against shop workers. No one should feel unsafe at their place of work and there are no circumstances where such behaviour should be tolerated. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences with the Committee.
“The sheer number of responses we have received shows just how widespread this problem is. In far too many cases retail workers don’t report incidents as they feel nothing will be done or that they’re expected to deal with such appalling incidents as part of their job. That’s simply not the case and it’s clear that action is needed to change this.
“The Committee is currently assessing the wider evidence we’ve received – I hope the Government responds constructively to the serious issues we have identified.”
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