National law firm, Foot Anstey LLP and the UK’s retail industry charity, the Retail Trust have launched a new certification aimed at protecting and reassuring shop workers as they face rising levels of abuse and inappropriate behaviour.
Several retailers are now in talks to commit to The Retailers Against Harassment Certification which has been designed to create safer working environments for staff. Those involved will work with Foot Anstey and the Retail Trust to review and improve measures in place to protect workers and deal with complaints of harassment. The certification will then be awarded to each retailer to demonstrate the actions it’s taking.
The move follows research by Foot Anstey showing 61% of shop workers have experienced offensive behaviour at work since the pandemic. Yet only 15% of retailers told the Retail Trust they have raised awareness or implemented training to deal with the issue.
To achieve certification, retailers will be assessed across multiple aspects, including the policies and procedures they have in place to deal with harassment, their leadership’s commitment to tackling the issue, employee experiences, and how complaints are handled.
Foot Anstey’s legal advisors will work with retailers to identify risks and opportunities to improve, referring to the Retail Trust team for support where appropriate.
In July 2021, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) sent an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for greater protection for retail workers, which was signed by 100 retailers.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, commented: “Violence towards shopworkers remains a major problem facing the industry. We welcome any initiatives aimed at supporting colleagues, and helping retailers to protect their workers. Similarly we welcome new ways to evaluate the effectiveness of measures currently in place to protect colleagues.”
Nathan Peacey, head of retail and consumer at Foot Anstey, added: “Our study into harassment in retail presented some alarming results and left us wondering what more could be done to protect this group of keyworkers and help create safer working environments for retail workers.
“Responsible retailers are already aware of the problem and are working hard to address it, and this certification is an opportunity to gauge the efficacy of their actions and show their teams they are taking this issue seriously. The program will help retailers to build on their current approach using our insight and legal know-how, and Retail Trust’s 190 years of industry experience.”
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust (pictured), said: “More and more people are turning to the Retail Trust because of the rising levels of abuse they are receiving in stores and call centres. This programme will help to give retail workers some of the clarity and reassurance they deserve by showing exactly what their employers are doing to protect them.
“The Retailers Against Harassment Certification recognises the important role that employers have to play in creating safer and happier workplaces for their staff, and we applaud any retailers that take part. We look forward to helping more people this year as we join forces with Foot Anstey to bring the industry together in tackling such a terrible issue.”
