Frontline staff are the lifeblood of our economy. They must be better protected

The start of 2021 hasn’t quite been the new beginning many had hoped for. A new national lockdown has hammered home the fact that the pandemic still colours our life in every way. And for those working in customer-facing roles, they will still be expected to go to work and risk their health.

Many customer service staff are among the key workers who have continued to work throughout the pandemic, keeping food on shelves and travel infrastructure running. Without their work, none of us could have survived the last awful year. Yet those we are relying on to meet our basic needs are all too often bearing the brunt of people’s frustration, with restrictive measures translating into abusive behaviour towards people who are vital for the smooth running of our country during a pandemic.

Train conductors face hostile customers who swear or even spit at them while trying to enforce social distancing on train journeys; shop workers continue to field endless complaints and threatening or abusive behaviour from customers opposing mask wearing in shops. Undoubtedly, some will have seen the videos on social media of waitresses, bus drivers or supermarket workers being harassed by members of the public while simply trying to do their job. Unfortunately these videos are all too common.

There has been a worrying trend emerging across the country, with instances of hostility towards customer-facing staff appearing to be on the rise. According to research from the Institute of Customer Service, more than half of customer-facing staff have experienced abuse from customers since the start of the pandemic. As we move into a third national lockdown, we must help protect our frontline staff.

Even more worrying, the issue is not isolated to face-to-face interactions. Customer service professionals working in contact centres are also reporting instances of hostility when dealing with customers over the phone and online. Many of these employees are working from home during the pandemic, and the emotional and psychological impacts of receiving abuse from customers they are trying to support while working in an isolated environment must be taken seriously.

We must do more to protect our key workers. I am therefore proud to support a campaign spearheaded by the Institute of Customer Service calling for businesses and the government to do more to protect these workers. We are working to call for the introduction of a specific offence for those who abuse customer-facing staff, as well as urging organisations to invest in additional training for employees.

While the Home Secretary’s plans to crack down on abuse and violence against shop workers are a welcome move in the right direction, we believe they do not go far enough, with too narrow a lens on the retail sector alone. Research shows the trend is most prevalent in retail, but nearly 80% of the UK’s workforce works in customer-facing roles. Mounting abuse is affecting staff across every sector of our economy – from public services to financial institutions and our public transport networks. In another national lockdown, it is essential that these staff feel safe and free from abuse in their work.

These are the people who have, quite literally, been keeping the lights on, feeding the nation and keeping our transport systems running. These workers are already having to endure changes to work routines, wearing protective equipment, and dealing with the expanded requirements of their role to include ensuring social distancing is maintained and hygiene requirements are met. In the face of an increasingly frustrated and disenfranchised public, it is predicted that these worrying instances of abuse could rise. We must do all we can to support them, and ensure they receive the protection and respect they deserve to safely carry out their crucial roles.

As the challenges brought on by the pandemic continue to unfold, it is vital that government and businesses show customer-facing staff they are a valued part of our nation. As we are encouraged to pull together to get through this lockdown, let us ensure that this sense of community support does not halt at frontline staff. Customer-facing staff must be provided with a safe working environment, free from abuse, as an absolute minimum.