// 75% of UK retail workers have experienced a situation where they felt their physical safety was at risk
// 89% regularly feel concerned for the safety of themselves and their colleagues
// Only 32% would call for help if worried for their safety and 43% would report the issue to a manager
Three quarters of UK retail workers have experienced a situation where they felt their physical safety was at risk at work, according to a new survey.
The new Empowering the Forgotten Frontline report, carried out by research house Censuswide, reveals that almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) retail workers regularly feel concerned for the safety of themselves and their colleagues at work.
Over a quarter (29 per cent) reported feeling concerned for the safety of themselves or their colleagues at least most days at work, with the typical worker feeling concerned an average of 1.9 times a week.
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Despite this, just under a third (32 per cent) of retail workers would call for help if worried for their safety and 43 per cent would only report the issue to a manager afterwards.
Safety concerns for retail workers are also prominent during Covid-19, with nearly half of UK retail workers (48 per cent) admitting to experiencing verbal abuse since the crisis began and nearly a third (32 per cent) experiencing physical abuse.
Abuse is not just limited to staff too, with over half of UK retail workers (55 per cent) saying they have experienced verbal altercations between customers, and 49 per cent have witnessed physical altercations between customers during Covid-19.#
It’s not just physical safety that UK retail workers are concerned about but security and risk too, with over a third (38 per cent) experiencing store theft during Covid-19.
Ninety per cent also admitted to feeling vulnerable at work, with the main reasons for feeling at risk listed as being outnumbered by customers (37 per cent), working alone (33 per cent), being unable to communicate with security or co-workers (33 per cent) or when customers are unhappy or abusive (32 per cent).
Censuswide’s study asked 251 retail workers in retailers with over 100 UK stores who have worked in retail for at least six months. VoCoVo published the report.
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