During the covid pandemic, when airlines had to enforce mask-wearing rules mandated by the federal government, passengers began to realize the true role of flight attendants. Yes, they serve drinks and can maybe bring you a pillow. At the end of the day, however, their key duties are actually all around passenger safety.
Because these workers interact with customers, they're actually on the front lines for the airlines, and that puts them in danger. Flight attendants trying to enforce rules they most certainly did not set were faced with verbal, and sometimes even physical abuse.
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Angry passengers seeking to assert their perceived right to not wear a mask properly and various other types of jerks have made being a flight attendant a more dangerous job. Front-line retail workers face the same issues.
As theft has increased from retailers including Walmart, Target (TGT) -), Kroger, and nearly every other big name, it's checkout clerks and other front-of-store employees that play a key role in preventing theft. That's a dangerous position to be in and workers are afraid, according to a new report from Motorola Solutions.
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Retail workers are scared
"Retail workers are scared. Retail workers and managers perceive safety incidents at their stores are on the rise," according to Motorola Solutions first-ever Retail Worker Safety Report.
The survey’s U.S. respondents reported that petty theft (54%), grab-and-run incidents (35%), and hostile customer interactions (31%) have increased in their stores over the past year. As a result, nearly two out of three are at least somewhat concerned for their personal safety at work heading into the holiday shopping season.
Every retailer has different rules when it comes to handling shoplifting or perceived shoplifting. Workers at Walmart WMT, for example, have the ability to shut off a self-checkout lane when they believe someone may be stealing. Other retail chains may have different methods but, in most cases, it's not a security guard taking action, it's a checkout clerk or someone in a similar job taking the first step.
That exposes those workers to innocent customers angry at the accusation and guilty customers looking for a way out.
“The holiday bustle can be a stressful time for retailers. Sales associates and managers shouldn’t have to be concerned about their safety on top of everything else,” Motorola Solutions Vice President Sharon Hong in a media statement. “Our report found that retail workers are looking for more technology that can help them be better aware of safety threats, spot illicit activity and communicate quickly and seamlessly with other employees and first responders should an incident arise.”
Retail workers want better tech
While many retailers have heavily invested in technology, those investments have not been around worker safety. Self-checkout has also increased danger for store employees because it's much harder to know when someone is willfully stealing and when someone has made a mistake compared to a person who shoplifts by sticking an expensive item under their shirt.
The report found that low-tech solutions are still in use during many store emergency situations.
"Retail workers and managers said they access landline telephones (58%) and PA systems (45%) to report store safety concerns while nearly one-third (28%) would rely on yelling to inform coworkers of an incident," the report found.
Retailers may not have made the changes needed to protect workers, but at least some are aware of the concerns. Target CEO Brian Cornell addressed worker safety during his company's second-quarter earnings call.
"I want to make it clear, we denounce violence and hate of all kinds. And the safety of our team and our guests is our top priority. So, to protect the team in the face of these threatening circumstances, we quickly made changes, including the removal of items through the center of the most significant confrontational behavior" he said.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon also vaguely addressed the issue during his company's third-quarter earnings call.
"We want to live our values and create a warm, safe, and fun place for the hundreds of millions of people that will shop with us in the days and weeks ahead," he shared.
Kroger KR CFO Gary Millerchip also made brief comments on worker safety as it related to increased theft during his chain's third-quarter earnings call.
"We are investing in initiatives to mitigate shrink and protect our associates and customers in our stores," he said.
