There’s a worrying spike in abuse towards customer-facing staff, according to the Institute Of Customer Service.
Its CEO Jo Causon said: “Whilst frustration with the current situation is understandable, directing that frustration at service staff is not. Let us all remember that our customer facing colleagues are facing the very same challenges as the people they are trying to help. They deserve to be treated with the same level of respect, in a working environment free from hostility and abuse.
“Whilst reports of spiking abuse towards our frontline staff are of course shocking on a human level, they also present a real and concerning threat to our nation’s economic stability. Our polling found a staggering two in five (40pc) service workers are considering or have considered leaving their roles because of the abuse they have faced. With 61pc of the UK’s employees working in customer-facing roles, the potential collapse of basic service provision this threatens should not be overlooked.”
Hospitals
Echoing that was much of what was said on day one of the two-day annual conference by the NAHS (National Association for Healthcare Security, pronounced nars) at the University of Birmingham this week, about violence reduction. An opening slido-enabled gathering of members’ opinions about what are the vulnerabilities and what might help resolve them, the audience suggested many things, but among the recurring points was that shortcomings in the primary care – the service given by stretched staff – can be a cause of aggression and violence, such as by patients (or their friends or family) awaiting treatment or an ambulance to attend.
Railways
And on the railways, the Department for Transport (DfT) has said the penalty for rail fare evasion in England and Wales is to rise from £20 to £100 (or £50 if paid within 21 days) – including Nexus, the Tyne and Wear Metro. Such a hike may prompt further conflict if non-payers are confronted.
However, only made worse by the cost of living crisis and tensions arising from distancing restrictions during the covid pandemic, rail operators’ staff such as train conductors and platform dispatchers are already facing abuse, verbal and physical, from some passengers, including by football supporters typically at weekends. Soccer hooligans may incidentally be avoiding paying for train travel on their journeys to and from matches (see BTP website for the police warning to Bolton fans recently).
More in the December print edition of Professional Security magazine. Picture by Mark Rowe; Nexus sign at St James’ Park, the Metro station for the Newcastle United stadium.
