Industry Thriving Score: Progress over Time
The Retail industry saw good gains in all five thriving domains in 2021 and is now sitting just below the national average with a score of 65.4 out of 100.
Of particular note is a large increase in the policy domain of 4.4 points to 64.3, reflecting the many changes in processes and policies this industry has undergone throughout the pandemic.
Connectedness remained the highest scoring domain at 68.9, showing workers in the industry work as a team and support and respect each other.
What’s working well
2021 saw strong improvements in retail workplaces having effective bullying and harassment policies, as well as providing access to confidential counselling and support. Workplaces have also done well in helping staff feel connected and committed to their team.
Areas to focus on
Within this industry…
Psychosocial Risk Profile
Inappropriate workload
Low recognition
Poor change management
Poor management support
Low job control
Poor role clarity
Poor workplace relationships
Poor working environment
Traumatic events
Key:
Table – Psychosocial Risk Profile for Retail trade industry
Highest Psychosocial Risk
The highest psychosocial risk facing the Retail trade industry is low recognition.
How can you manage this risk?
Being recognised for good work is vital for workers to feel valued and can impact their mental health. Leaders can make a big difference in this area and create a culture of recognition by:
- Praising great work and effort right away
- Displaying acts of appreciation towards employees at the end of their shift (e.g., Thank you for your hard work today)
- Regularly and publicly celebrating successes (e.g., customer satisfaction ratings, % of on-time deliveries)
- Rewarding star performers with personalised gifts (e.g., gift card based on a brand they like), and
- Sending staff a personalised thank you email or card.
Key Insight
Abusive customers are a disturbing reality for retail workers
Retail is an essential part of every community, and the largest employer of young people, yet many workers face violence or bullying while trying to do their jobs. Nearly 1 in 6 (16%) retail workers experienced violence from customers and other external workplace contacts in the last year. It’s even more common if you’re a woman (19%) or aged 18-24 years (22%). Workplace bullying is also common, affecting 15% of all retail workers. This includes bullying from customers, suppliers and even colleagues! Workers aged 45-54 experienced more bullying than any other age group in the last year (19%), closely followed by younger workers aged 18-24 (17%).
It’s important to remember that these are real people – mums, dads, sisters, brothers, daughters and sons – who are being abused while providing much-needed services to their communities. They’re paying a heavy price too: three quarters (75%) of retail workers who faced workplace violence and bullying experienced a mental health condition in the last 12 months, and 61% of those believe their current workplace caused it or made it worse.
Key Insight
Productivity takes a hit when violence and bullying occur
Retail workers who have experienced workplace violence and bullying are less productive than those who have not. These workers reportedly feel “burnt out, exhausted and dread every shift” and that “some days it doesn’t seem worth the tears”. Their work suffers, which affects business overall.
Workers experience lower job satisfaction, lower commitment to the job, higher absenteeism as well as reduced morale and motivation. Unfortunately, these experiences also take a toll workers’ physical health and personal lives. Reports from workers have said that some customer encounters increase anxiety and negatively affect their sleep. These incidents can manifest into longer lasting symptoms of stress disorder, mental health issues, anxiety and depression.
With Christmas shopping in full swing, this is something to think about next time you are interacting with retail workers. Kindness goes a long way and ‘making a scene’ is unnecessary – there is no situation where it is okay for customers to compromise retail workers’ mental or physical health.
Key Insight
Workplaces need to put their workers first
Business leaders and owners have a responsibility for the safety of all their workers, and that means physical and mental safety. However, only 41% of retail workers who were bullied and 65% of people who experienced violence reported what happened. Do they feel their concerns won’t be taken seriously, or worse still, are they concerned they will be shamed for making a report? It’s one thing to have a great policy in place, but it’s another to know your manager, leader or supervisor will have your back. Creating an environment where workers feel safe enough to report customer incidents, and confident that they will be handled appropriately, is absolutely critical.
Many of the retail workers who experienced customer abuse in the last year are considering working for other retailers (37%) and/or leaving the retail industry altogether (44%). If this mass exodus of retail workers takes place, the remaining staff will face even more pressure from customers due to being short-staffed and needing to training new starters. Customer service levels are likely to decline, potentially prompting increased customer abuse. With that in mind, it’s time to change the retail mantra that puts customers first, because the customer is not always right. Retail workers have every right to feel valued and respected from their customers, suppliers, colleagues and managers. Anything less is not acceptable.
What can you do
There are many strategies to support retail workers regarding workplace violence and bullying from management, customers, suppliers and colleagues.
Managers, leaders and supervisors need to make sure they are providing a work environment that supports the organisational goals, meets the bottom line and also takes care of the worker. Wellbeing is everyone’s business. Effective approaches that could be explored include:
- Having a clear policy that outlines the organisation’s position against violence and bullying and provide training that supports the policy
- Leading by example and demonstrating a clear commitment to identifying, preventing and responding to workplace violence and bullying
- Monitoring incident reports, complaints, claims, patterns of absenteeism, sick leave and staff turnover to establish a pattern or review sudden changes
- Building a relationship of trust with staff through connecting with workers and taking time to compliment great work, as well as acknowledging when workers have managed tough situations
- Providing opportunities to debrief after difficult conversations and challenging situations
- Including role play scenarios into meetings as an opportunity for workers to practise and share their skills with their peers when managing challenging situations
- Developing clear guidelines about what to do if violence or bullying occurs at work, and making sure this is regularly explained at meetings or via internal communication
- Making sure workers know they have a confidential space to report violence and bullying behaviours and these will be taken seriously
- Having open and regular communication about mental health services with workers to reduce stigma, and making sure all staff have information about the organisation’s EAP, as well as other support services
- Participating in activities or events aimed at reducing stigma about mental health and in promoting positive behaviours
- Identifying and creating job adjustments for workers who have experienced violence and/or bullying in the workplace to feel safe and supported
- Developing customer, supplier and employee awareness campaigns which may include having signs that support positive interactions and ways of behaving
- Holding regular scheduled discussions about culture and workplace behaviour at management meetings, board meetings, staff meetings and health and safety meetings, and
- Including team building activities into each quarter as a way to connect to workers and to build trust.
Learn More
Read SuperFriend’s blog The 11 most impactful actions for improving worker wellbeing.
Read SuperFriend’s How to spot someone in distress blog.
You can read more about starting a conversation in SuperFriend’s The art of checking in blog.
Developing the skills for all staff, including leadership in managing difficult conversations by enrolling in SuperFriend’s Managing Challenging Interactions for All Staff course.
Increase leaders understanding of mental health to help them connect with their workers through learning at SuperFriend’s Workplace Mental Health Essentials for Leaders course.
Read Heads Up’s tips to develop strategies for a healthy workplace.
Learn how to have an ROUK conversation.
Learn More
Read SuperFriend’s blog The 11 most impactful actions for improving worker wellbeing.
Read SuperFriend’s How to spot someone in distress blog.
Read more about how to start a conversation in SuperFriend’s blog, The art of checking in.
Developing the skills for all staff, including leadership in managing difficult conversations by enrolling in SuperFriend’s Managing Challenging Interactions for All Staff course.
Tips for retail workers
It is important that our workplace supports the challenges that may happen in the workday. As a retail worker, you can have a direct impact on your ability to manage circumstances through the following strategies.
Try to detach from what is being said, not to take it personally and maintain a professional manner in your exchange.
Don’t tolerate continued violence or bullying from anyone; seek assistance if you find yourself in this situation and are feeling overwhelmed.
Understand your organisation’s policy and procedures about workplace violence and bullying, and ask your manager, leader or supervisor about this, if you are unsure.
Read about SuperFriend’s blog The five ways to wellbeing to improve your mental health and wellbeing everyday and try SuperFriend’s free 15 minute Wellbeing check-in and action plan.
Access your organisation’s EAP, alongside other support services, such as an organisational wellbeing and safety app like Sonder.
Sonder’s mission is to build a world where people feel accepted, supported, and heard anytime , day or night – for safety, medical or mental health.
Explore the National Retail Association website. They champion awareness and look for ways to address issues that impact the health and wellbeing of retail workers.
