Nearly half of UK employees have experienced customer aggression at work and more than a quarter do not feel safe during their commute, according to new research.
The survey, of 1,038 workers by polling firm YouGov, conducted for integrated health, safety and wellbeing provider Sonder, forms the basis of the organisation’s first UK Employee Safety Gap Report. It found that 48 percent of employees had faced customer aggression, while 26 percent had personal safety concerns on their journey to work.
Verbal abuse was the most common form of aggression, with women more likely than men to be targeted. The study found 88 percent of women who faced customer aggression had been subjected to verbal abuse, compared with 81 percent of men.
Physical risks and generational divides
Older workers reported higher levels of physical assault than their younger colleagues. Fourteen percent of Generation X and Baby Boomer staff said they had suffered physical assault at work, compared with 12 percent of Generation Z and 10 percent of millennials.
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Despite the prevalence of incidents, most employees did not feel supported by their employers. Of those subjected to customer aggression, 58 percent said they had not received any help. Only 36 percent of all respondents rated their employer’s commitment to workplace safety as “very good”.
Gen Z most exposed
The report reveals particular risks for Generation Z, with one quarter exposed to customer aggression at least once a week. That compared with 17 percent of millennials and 12 percent of older workers. Gen Z employees were also more likely to face discrimination, at 18 percent, compared with 12 percent of millennials and 8 percent of Generation X and Baby Boomers.
Sonder said these findings were concerning given the early career stage of many younger workers. The report warned that repeated exposure to aggression could damage confidence, increase anxiety and shape long-term attitudes towards the workplace.
Almost half of Generation Z respondents (49 percent) said they were already seeking new employment, compared with 34 percent of millennials and 25 percent of older employees.
Psychological and emotional safety
Beyond physical risks, the research also spotlighted concerns about psychological and emotional wellbeing. More than three quarters of respondents said they did not feel completely safe making mistakes at work, while 78 percent said they did not feel safe challenging the status quo. Sixty percent said they did not feel completely safe contributing ideas.
The lack of psychological safety was linked to performance and productivity, with 14 percent of workers saying they had taken time off in the past year because of mental health or safety concerns.
‘Wake-up call’
Raechel Gavin, chief people officer at Sonder, said the findings should act as a warning to business leaders.
“These findings should serve as a wake-up call for UK organisations,” she said. “The longer safety anxiety goes unaddressed, the more likely absenteeism and retention becomes an issue at both an individual and organisational level.
“If employees don’t feel safe, they are unlikely to stay, speak up, or perform well. Business leaders need to reassure employees that their safety matters, that aggression and abuse at work is unacceptable and that the organisation is committed to protecting and supporting the entire workforce.”
The report concluded that organisations needed to take a broader view of safety, covering not just physical risks but also psychological and emotional wellbeing, if they are to protect staff and maintain performance.
