Almost 40% of UK Customer Service workers facing abuse consider quitting
New data from the Institute of Customer Service reveals that nearly 4 in 10 (39%) UK customer service workers who have experienced abuse are contemplating leaving their jobs, highlighting the growing problem of hostility in the workplace.
The research, which involved over 10,000 responses gathered over the past four years, shows a worrying trend of increasing aggression towards customer-facing staff across various industries, including retail, public transport, call centres, and public services. Despite recent government proposals to address assaults specifically in the retail sector, the data shows that abuse is widespread in many sectors, with workers in the Public Sector, Retail, Business & Professional Services, Telecoms, and Financial Services accounting for 66% of those affected.
According to the study, 35% of service workers who have experienced abuse report that customer aggression has increased in the last six months, while just 10% feel that hostility is decreasing. Many employees report that their working conditions are either worsening (29%) or not improving (42%).
The findings also reveal that 36% of customer-facing workers have endured abuse in the past six months, with 1 in 4 of these workers taking time off as a result. This equates to 9% of all workers in customer service roles taking an average of eight days off due to such incidents.
This morning, Jo Causon, CEO of the Institute of Customer Service, appeared on BBC Breakfast to discuss the latest findings from the Institute’s Service with Respect campaign. Addressing the increasing levels of abuse faced by customer-facing workers, Causon stated, “We (as business leaders) need to stand up and say this is not acceptable behaviour.” During her appearance, she emphasised the need for urgent action to protect workers across all sectors and noted the serious toll such hostility takes on both individuals and businesses.
Causon welcomed recent government proposals to make abuse of retail workers a standalone offence but urged for more comprehensive action, calling on the government to extend protections across all sectors. “Three quarters of customer-facing workers would like to see pan-sector protective legislation. That’s why we need Government to go further by making assaulting a public-facing worker a standalone offence,” she said.
In a concerning finding, fewer than half (44.3%) of customer-facing workers reported having clear procedures for reporting abuse, with over 50% stating there were either no procedures in place or that they were unaware of them.
The Institute’s Service with Respect campaign continues to call for greater awareness and stronger measures to protect customer-facing workers from abuse and assault.
