e event of a violent situation in store.   Many retailers fear abusive behaviour will worsen as locations relax Covid-19 measures and customers experience pandemic fatigue.  Australian discount store chain The Reject Shop, which has noticed an upsurge in customer aggression, is rolling out a new training program to tackle the issue.  “[Customer aggression] is definitely on the increase. We’ve seen a real peak during May and June,” Kate Lewis, general manager of people and culture at The Reject Shop. “Our teams are being put in [dangerous] situations by customers – everything from inappropriate touching to verbal abuse to stalking.  It’s just constant for them. We’ve had customers spit on team members.” Lewis said the strain of dealing with aggressive and abusive customers is taking its toll on the mental health of team members particularly in the worst cases where the authorities have had to be called.  “Our team members are being put in difficult situations. We’ve had to get the police involved [in some cases]. It’s having an impact on [their] mental health.” Rather than taking a classroom-style approach to this training for staff, it will be a short, online session that can be undertaken quickly and efficiently. There will also be resilience training rolling out next month to support the mental health of team members. Lewis said it’s the young females in the business that tend to be targeted the most. In a practical measure, headsets have been supplied to staff on the floor so that they can alert a manager or team leader if they need help.  “It is a safety measure we’ve put in place that has been well received by our team so they don’t feel alone up at the registers,” Lewis said.  Employers to step up In Victoria, where citizens have endured the most severe lockdowns in Australia, government agency WorkSafe recently launched a campaign aimed at both employers and community to stem violence in the workplace. “Violence can happen in any workplace – but workers in industries dealing directly with the public, including retail, can be more at risk,” WorkSafe executive director of Health and Safety Julie Nielsen told Inside Retail.  “No matter what the situation, no one should face violence or abuse just for doing their job.”   A series of videos detailing the experiences of workers have been launched online and through social media to show the challenges faced by workers. An education and awareness campaign has also been created to inform and remind employers of their obligations to workers. Nielsen said everyone has a role to play in making a change and preventing workplace violence.  “Employers must work towards preventing workplace violence by ensuring systems are in place to identify and control the risks and the community should recognise that violence and aggression of any form is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the workplace,” she said.  “[It’s the responsibility of all employers] to create a work environment that prioritises the prevention of work-related violence and physical and psychological injury and builds a culture in which workers feel able to report incidents if they occur.”