bus and violence against shopkeepers and service personnel increases again as new penalties take effect, according to research.
A quarter of staff who have faced increasing hostility said they believe this increase is due in part to the sharp rise in cost of living and stress it has placed on customers.
New figures from The Institute of Customer Service revealed that 44% of frontline service staff have experienced customer hostility over the past six months – a 35% increase in February 2022.
This comes as new forces take effect on Tuesday, which will allow large penalties to be imposed on customers who attack and abuse store workers.
Today’s change in the law is a reason for celebration for all those who have strived for service with respect for our country’s hardworking, leading service staff
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 was granted royal approval in April.
The policy change came after a myriad of retailers, including the Co-Op, reported an increase in attacks on workers during the pandemic.
Tension is still rising and this is presumably linked to declining consumer sentiment amid the cost-of-living crisis, according to the Institute for Customer Service.
Jo Causon, chief executive officer of the institute, said: “Today’s change in the law is a cause for celebration for all those who have strived for service with respect for our country’s hardworking, leading service staff.
“These new, stricter sentencing guidelines will provide essential protection to workers against a backdrop of increased customer stress and frustration associated with rising prices, and declining service levels due to widespread skills shortages.
“I am concerned that British companies are being caught in a Catch-22 situation, with tensions boiling over in abuses causing staff absenteeism leading to further frustration.
“We need to break this cycle by acting together as a society to offer our support to hard-pressed frontline workers.”
The new research, from a survey of more than 1,300 customer-facing staff, found that more than a third – 35% – believe that behavior and tone have become more aggressive over the past six months.
Meanwhile, 33% of workers who experienced hostility cited higher levels of anxiety among buyers as a trigger for customer hostility and a quarter (25%) linked it specifically to price increases.
Ms Causon added: “As a nation, we have been handed over to stock and staff shortages related to global and domestic issues.
“These issues are not going away, and therefore price increases and inflation will still be on the cards for many months.
“To prepare for this, I call on employers to take a zero-tolerance approach to hostility, to ensure that their employees are trained to deal with difficult situations when they arise.”