Woolworths praised as employees given bodycams for safety reasons

The supermarket giant has been praised for introducing a bold security measure in a bid to keep its employees safe.

Woolworths has been praised over a hi-tech new safety feature it has introduced to help keep its employees safe.

The supermarket giant has been trialling police-style bodycams in a number of its stores in a bid to stamp out abuse workers face from aggressive customers.

While the security measure was first introduced in April 2021, footage of the technology at work in a Woolworths store in western Sydney has recently gone viral, prompting many to praise the Australian retailer for its efforts to protect staff.

A Woolies spokesperson said the cameras, which are worn around a staffer’s neck, are only switched on if a “supervisor is concerned about a threat to team safety”.

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Woolworths has been praised as employees given bodycams for safety reasons. Picture: TikTok/Aussiehumour1

“Since April last year, we’ve been trialling team safety cameras in a small number of stores to see if they can help prevent assaults and abuse of our team members.

“Nobody deserves to be abused at work, so it’s important we look at new measures to help keep our team members safe. These cameras are used widely in retail across the US and UK and have been effective in reducing the rate of reported incidents.”

While the move has been well-received, some commented on how “sad” the decision is.

“The way some customers treat them, I’m not surprised,” one user commented on TikTok.

“As someone that has worked customer service … fair. Customer service workers deal with so much abuse,” someone else wrote.

“Shoppers have no manners; look at what happened when there was a shortage of toilet paper,” another said.

“Isn’t it sad that this is what it’s come to for service staff?” one person wrote.

Shoppers welcomed the hi-tech security addition. Picture: news.com.au/RebekahScanlan

The trial began in April 2021. Picture: Dallas Kilponen

The trial, which was initially meant to last three months, is still ongoing in 11 stores across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. Woolworths hasn’t confirmed whether there are plans to roll it out nationally.

Stores trialling the cameras will have signage informing shoppers at entry points.

It was first introduced after a study from the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association revealed 85 per cent of Woolworths staff have been the target of verbal, physical or sexual assault while at work.

“The abuse that is put on employees everyday is horrendous. Enough is enough! About time,” one social media user said.

“I’ve worked in retail. Trust me, bodycams are a great idea. People are feral,” another wrote.

Originally published as Woolworths praised as employees given bodycams for safety reasons