Retail sector facing potential £7.8bn cost from unhappy workers quitting

The Trust’s health of retail report found that over 1.5 million retail workers – 41% of UK retail’s total workforce – is at risk of quitting due to unhappiness around issues like abuse in shops. The average cost of replacing a retail worker is £5,195.

Two thirds of retail managers surveyed for the report said customer abuse had impacted their team’s wellbeing over the last year, while 11% felt powerless to support staff.

Four in five retail leaders said they had updated their approach to customer abuse and added new ways for staff to report incidents to managers. Others have reviewed their returns processes to reduce customer frustration, banned staff from working alone and stopped selling high value items most at risk of theft.

As a result, 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 October 21.

While retail staff are dealing with customers struggling with the cost of living crisis, shop workers themselves are also being affected by increased costs.

The research found that 39% of staff blamed increased costs for a deterioration in their mental health and 17% were struggling to meet monthly outgoings. 71% of them said they had cut down on their spending to deal with rising prices, while 60% said they were also experiencing anxiety, worry and fear due to the uncertainty facing the retail industry and their jobs.

Retail Trust chief executive Chris Brook-Carter 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.”