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The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll among Australian retail workers, with more than one in two workers experiencing increased hostility and abuse from customers, according to one new report from the University of Sydney and the Australian National University (ANU).
The report is one of the first to examine the impacts of the pandemic on essential workers thrown to the frontlines with little preparation and high risk of exposure to the virus.
Pandemic Pressures: Job Security and Customer Relations for Retail Workers highlights the challenges faced by workers in retail, fast food and distribution during the pandemic and recent closures, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on job security and worker relations -clients.
“The retail sector has been deeply, but unevenly, affected by the COVID-19 crisis,†said co-author of the report, Professor Rae Cooper of the University of Sydney Business School.
“Workers feel disrespectful and report that they have experienced disrespectful treatment, threatening behavior and bad manners from retail customers. This was especially the case for women, young workers and workers of diverse cultures and languages.
“As we approach the Christmas season, it’s worth remembering that the mostly young, often low-paid and highly feminized retail workforce should not bear the brunt of customer abuse. Managers and employers should take a zero tolerance approach to the mistreatment of their staff. “
Fifty-six percent of retail workers saw a noticeable increase in customer abuse during the pandemic, but “the experiences and concerns of these workers tended to be overlooked or underestimated by the media and governments, compared to other front-line workers, â€said the report co-author, Professor Ariadne Vromen of the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy.
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