Australians facing rising violence, harassment and fear at work amid customer aggression crisis

A shocking report has uncovered a surge in violence against workers — with staff being punched, stalked and even stabbed as assaults spill beyond retail and hospitality.

More Australians are feeling unsafe at work as customer aggression spreads beyond shops and cafes — with frontline staff being harassed, assaulted, followed after shifts, and even threatened with knives.

An exclusive report has revealed that almost every worker in Australia is now at risk of violence or intimidation on the job — if not from customers, then from managers or colleagues.

Nearly a quarter of employees who deal with the public face customer aggression at least once a week, and one in five of those incidents ends with police involvement, according to research from wellbeing provider Sonder.

The report also found that young workers are disproportionately at risk, with Gen Z men experiencing the highest rates of physical violence, while Gen Z women report the most discrimination.

Middle-aged women recorded the lowest levels of psychological safety and inclusion in the workplace, with more than three-quarters saying they don’t feel safe to make mistakes or challenge decisions.

An exclusive report has revealed that almost every worker in Australia is now at risk of violence or intimidation on the job — if not from customers, then from managers or colleagues.

JOB HORRORS

The worst cases of customer aggression include workers being attacked with knives, assaulted, harassed on the job and followed after finishing a shift, Sonder member operations chief Nathan Halliday said.

“In one extreme example, an armed member of the public intentionally crashed their car into a retail site, before being arrested by police,’’ he said.

Almost two-thirds of Australians had experienced customer aggression during their careers while a quarter now faced it at least once a week, Mr Halliday said.

No longer confined to the hospitality and retail sectors, customer aggression also affected workers in banking, healthcare, transport, call centres and “anywhere staff interact with the public’’, he said.

Lone workers were particularly vulnerable, with higher exposure to repeated customer aggression.

Mr Halliday said almost 60 per cent of workers believed the world was less safe than it was six months ago, noting nearly a third even held personal safety fears during their daily commute.

Eleven per cent of Australians had taken time off work in the past year due to safety fears – more than double the rate recorded in 2023 – while one in five workers took time off for mental health reasons.

LEFT ‘ON EDGE’

Allied health worker Brianna*, 30, said dealing with aggressive and intimidating patients and their families was an increasingly common part of her job.

Most recently, Brianna was confronted by a woman who had brought her father to an appointment for a medical procedure, which had to be cancelled so that further patient testing could occur.

Brianna said the woman became extremely aggravated and was yelling at staff, leaving her feeling “on edge’’.

“(What should have been) a 15-minute appointment turned into a 45-minute nightmare … and it had a terrible flow-on effect for other patients and our practice,’’ she said.

“This is unfortunately a regular occurrence – a dime a dozen.

“It slowly chips away at your sense of optimism and it can make you defensive for the next patient in anticipation of something like that happening again.

“You start to expect it (further incidents) in the future.’’

Lawyer and workplace behaviour expert Franca Sala Tenna encouraged Australians to know the risks of their job and question employers about the systems in place to minimise those risks.

DUAL RESPONSIBILITY

Sonder chief people officer Raechel Gavin said the cost-of-living crisis had led to a rise in tensions and negative customer behaviour, creating high levels of anxiety and fear among frontline workers.

With the report finding more than a third of workers to experience customer aggression received no support, Ms Gavin it was critical organisations do more to create safer, healthier and more resilient workplaces.

This included creating an environment that allowed staff to do their best work, without fear of reprisals for making a mistake, she said.

Workers also needed to be able to identify the warning signs before their personal safety was put at risk and train in how to respond and de-escalate high-risk situations, she said.

“Workers should never feel obligated to put themselves in harm’s way,’’ Ms Gavin said.

“Many organisations have policies that empower employees to disengage from volatile situation and it’s important that employees know they have the right to keep themselves safe as the first priority.

“Understanding and following company policies is critical – this isn’t about being a hero, it’s about staying safe.’’

KNOW THE RISKS

Lawyer and workplace behaviour expert Franca Sala Tenna, director of workplace training provider EEO Specialists, encouraged Australians to know the risks of their job and question employers about the systems in place to minimise those risks.

She said in some occupations, such as waiting and bar work, sexual harassment was often trivialised as “part of the course of the job’’ but needed to be recognised under the broader banner of workplace violence and intimidation and reported if it occurred.

Ms Sala Tenna said any worker who felt at risk should approach their employer and request strategies to increase their safety.

Personal leave could be accessed for employees not fit for work as a result of any incidents and there may also grounds to apply for workers compensation, she said.

Unsafe workplaces

• 65 per cent of workers have experienced customer aggression, with a quarter facing it on at least a weekly basis
• 19 per cent of critical incident response cases in the workplace involve police
• 76 per cent of workers say they do not feel safe to make mistakes
• 11 per cent of workers have taken time off in the past year due to safety fears
• 35 per cent of workers who experience customer aggression receive no support
• Only 37 per cent of workers rate their employer’s commitment to their safety as `very good’

Source: Sonder.

* Name changed to protect identity

Originally published as Australians facing rising violence, harassment and fear at work amid customer aggression crisis