Substantial level of harassment experienced by retail workers recently reported.

Dealing with angry or difficult customers is an unavoidable reality when working in retail. The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) announced that “Customer abuse and aggression is an epidemic that the industry has been wrestling with for years”, and their survey found that a staggering “87% of workers have experienced abuse from customers, and that number has not materially changed since 2016¹”.

Sexual harassment in the retail industry

Harassment in retail work environments also includes sexual harassment. A recent study by the University of Sydney has disturbingly revealed the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in the retail sector². This study has revealed that when compared to the general working population:

• The prevalence of sexual harassment in retail was higher.
• The number of experiences of customer-perpetrated sexual harassment in retail was higher, however there was also a high number of reported harassments from co-workers.
• Incidents in retail were more likely to occur in the person’s immediate work environment (such as a workstation or cash register).
• Men were more likely to be the perpetrators of harassment and women the targets in retail.
• The most common form of sexual harassment experienced by retail workers is “sexually suggestive comments and jokes”, followed by “intrusive questions about private life or physical appearance” and “staring or leering”.
• Most incidences of workplace sexual harassment did not result in the victim making a formal report or complaint; or in the victim seeking support or advice. This is because most victims were unsure if their employer had “a reporting mechanism in place”, while only 20 per cent indicated that they did, and another 24 per cent stated there was no such mechanism.
• Formal reports or complaints of workplace sexual harassment mostly did not result in workplace change.
• The most common result for workers making a report was no outcome, however they could experience negative consequences such as being ostracised, victimized or ignored by colleagues; having their shifts changed; being labelled as a troublemaker; or resigning.

Harsh punishment against retail harassment

In New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia, retail harassment, including assault and abuse, is a crime with penalties including prison sentences. Under the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Assaults on Retail Workers) Bill 2023 in NSW, people can face a maximum penalty of 11 year’s imprisonment for wounding or causing grievous bodily harm to a retail worker in the course of the worker’s duty.

Retail employers’ duty of care

Under Work, Health and Safety (WHS) Acts and Legislations, retail employers have an obligation to provide a workplace environment that is both physically and psychologically safe and healthy. Harassment is also a work health and safety hazard, even though its effects cannot be seen physically, and it can be categorised as a psychosocial hazard.

To achieve this, retail employers need to have an effective Work, Health and Safety Management system which equip their workers with tools to manage retail harassment and prevent work related stress from causing an injury to them.

As part of their WHS Management, retail employers should:

• Identify all psychosocial hazards (existing and potential) in their workplace, using a combination of data sources such as consulting workers, observing work activities or from organisational data.
• When psychosocial hazards are identified, investigate work-related contributing causes and eliminate or minimise these to control the risks.
• Have strong anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies in their workplace, and clearly communicate these policies to all employees and customers. This should incorporate clear definitions to assist workers in recognising what is sexual harassment, even “low intensity” behaviours such as inappropriate comments, jokes, staring or leering.
• Provide training and strategies on how to deal with difficult customers and what to do in instances where customers are acting inappropriately.
• Implement an effective reporting system where workers can report instances of harassment without repercussions. This should include training for managers so that they are able to respond appropriately when an incident is reported to them.
• Having clear procedures to adequately investigate and address reported instances of harassment.
• Preventing future harassment from taking place as much as practicable, including making changes to the workplace such as increased security and CCTV, rostering employees so they are not alone, banning problem customers from a store, etc.

Benefits of a safer workplace

Businesses have a legal responsibility to provide a safe workplace without risks to health and safety, which means eliminating or minimising the risk of workplace harassment. Your organisational policies and practices will significantly influence your workers’ experiences of harassment, both positively and negatively. Failure to properly address and manage harassment will inflict harm on various levels: affecting the wellbeing of individual employees, disrupting team cohesion and may even cause an economic loss to your business when your staff resigns.

Your retail workers deserve to work in a place where they will be safe and treated with dignity and respect. Now, it’s your responsibility to make that a reality.

 

 

References

1. Australian Retailers Association (August 2024), Media Release – Communique: Retail Employee Safety Council, <https://www.retail.org.au/media/communique-retail-employee-safety-council-august-2024>, accessed on 12th May 2025.
2. Cooper, R., Hill, E., Seetahul, S., Foley, M., Harris, M., Hock, C., Tapsell, A., (June 2024), “Just another day in retail”: Understanding and addressing workplace sexual harassment in the Australian retail industry, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety.