Calls for more support after workplace abuse in East Midlands
Figures show over 40% of people have seen instances of the public abusing staff
A quarter of people in the East Midlands want better training to support them with abuse in the workplace.
From betting shops and kennels to supermarkets and doctors surgeries - one in three workers (21%) in the region say they’ve been a victim of abuse by the public at work.
And 42% have witnessed a verbal or physical assault often trying to intervene (19%) themselves.
Typically, the incident has happened in a retail store but also in restaurants, cafes on public transport and hospitals and ‘kicked off with a row over customer service or people being drunk.
Research published today by Little Green Button reveals the mental and physical impact felt by staff nationally with almost two thirds (65%) saying it’s made them anxious and around half that it has affected their mental health.
Often workers say they don’t feel supported by their employers or colleagues (51%) with around half saying they want better training to deal with assaults ( 46%) or other measures like a security guard or panic button.
The research follows a recent NHS Staff survey report which found that more than a third of doctors have recently experienced verbal abuse and sometimes physical threats. In hospitals, it was most often nurses who were abused, while 96% of GPs had seen it happen to receptionists. Some NHS workers reported hiding their badges in public.