NZ survey finds 91% of frontline workers face abuse

ShopCare has released a national survey showing that 91% of customer-facing workers in New Zealand experienced customer aggression over the past year. The study covers more than 2,500 frontline workers across multiple industries.

Verbal abuse was the most common form of aggression, reported by 86% of respondents. The survey also found that 10% of workers had faced physical violence, including threats with weapons.

Stress and anxiety were the most common effects. The results show that 67% of respondents experienced stress and 59% experienced anxiety after aggression from customers.

Selena Armstrong, Chief Executive of ShopCare, said the level of abuse was far worse than many people might expect.

"Customer aggression has become normalised for far too many people. If your job involves serving customers, it is now almost certain you will face abuse. It is heartbreaking that people are being spat on and screamed at, with 10% of workers exposed to physical violence, including being threatened with weapons. Workers carry this harm home to their whānau, and the next day they walk back in and face it all over again," Armstrong said.

ShopCare described the research as New Zealand's first national cross-sector study of its kind. Conducted with KPMG, it drew responses from workers across a range of customer-facing sectors.

The data also suggests many incidents do not reach formal reporting channels. While 73% of respondents said they had reported incidents to their employer, 27% did not. Many in that group said they did not believe reporting would make a difference.

Reporting gaps

The survey points to weaknesses in workplace systems as well as the scale of the aggression. The results highlight opportunities for employers to improve reporting processes, consultation with staff, and support after incidents.

Workers identified training as one of the most useful responses. Some 64% ranked de-escalation and customer aggression training as the most effective action employers could take.

Armstrong said the behaviour often came from people workers would not necessarily expect.

"What we know from workers, through the work we do in the retail sector and its supply chain, is that often the abuse is coming from everyday Kiwis, parents, professionals and regular customers who should know better," she said.

She called for a broader response beyond individual employers.

"We cannot afford to treat this as an individual workplace issue. This is a national tragedy, especially when, for many of our kids, this is their first experience of work. We can, and we must, do better," Armstrong said.

Woolworths New Zealand, a founding partner in the survey, said the findings matched the experience of its frontline staff. The retailer is one of the country's largest employers of customer-facing workers.

Denva Wren, Head of Safety, Health and Wellbeing at Woolworths New Zealand, said the issue was affecting workers' health and sense of safety.

"Our team members work hard to serve our communities every day and deserve to be treated with respect. Everyone has the right to feel safe at work and go home safely to their whānau, and acts of violence and aggression are having a real, heavy impact on our people's mental and physical health, confidence, and safety. The value of this research is that it gives New Zealand a shared evidence base and a common understanding of the challenge. No single organisation can solve this alone, but by working together on a joint response, we can strengthen prevention, improve support for frontline workers, and ensure respectful behaviour is the expectation. Encouraging respect across our stores and communities is a shared responsibility," Wren said.

She added: "We are proud to support initiatives that put worker wellbeing at the centre and help build safer workplaces for all frontline workers."

National benchmark

ShopCare plans to use the results to shape guidance, training, resources and advocacy aimed at reducing customer aggression. It also intends the survey to serve as an ongoing benchmark for measuring change over time.

KPMG said the study gives employers a common reference point across sectors that deal with the public.

"Customer aggression has unfortunately become a reality for many frontline workers across Aotearoa New Zealand. By establishing a national benchmark for the first time, this research gives organisations a clearer understanding of the challenge and a stronger basis for action," said Lance Webb, Head of Customer Experience Practise at KPMG New Zealand.