Retail workers call for more safety tech this holiday season

Around one in three retail workers in Australia and New Zealand (32%) reports feeling unsafe going into the holiday shopping season, with the majority of retail managers and staff concerned about crime in their stores.

That’s according to Motorola Solutions’ report ‘The state of retail worker safety in Australia and New Zealand’, which was conducted by independent market research firm Researchscape in September this year to gauge retail workers’ perspectives about safety and workplace security measures. Over 280 retail managers and staff across Australia and New Zealand were surveyed as part of the report, with the results showing that security technologies — including mobile safety apps, body cameras, and systems that can lock doors and allow store security officers to view real-time video of unfolding incidents — make people feel safer at work.

Many retail managers and staff surveyed said they’ve experienced increases in various forms of crime in their stores in the past year; the most common incidents reported were shoplifting (71%), hostile customer interactions (51%) and grab and runs (43%). Retail staff also said they have experienced organised retail crime groups (20%) and physical attacks from customers (16%) in their stores.

Holiday understaffing is also causing safety concerns, with 70% of retail workers saying they expect to be understaffed this holiday season and this impacts how safe they feel. More than one-third (34%) of respondents said they are extremely concerned for their personal safety leading into peak shopping season.

The good news is, technology solutions can boost feelings of safety, with respondents pointing to access control systems (24%), mobile safety apps (20%), panic buttons (19%), body cameras (17%) and licence plate readers (15%) as measures that can make them feel safer. Many respondents noted body cameras’ ability to help stores gather evidence to support investigations, as well as their ability to act as a deterrent of aggressive or criminal behaviour in stores.

The bad news is, few retail workers reported having these security measures in place. Of those surveyed, 15% said they have access control systems, 14% have panic buttons, 12% have mobile safety apps, 10% are using body cameras and 9% have licence plate readers.

“Retail workers in Australia and New Zealand have clear concerns about potential crime and hostile interactions with customers, which can have harmful physical and mental impacts,” said Martin Chappell, Managing Director of Motorola Solutions’ Asia Pacific channel sales. “Retail workers and managers point to technologies they believe can help curb these issues — deterring theft, de-escalating confrontations with customers, and simultaneously notifying security workers and authorities of emergencies.

“This report reinforces the views of retail associations in Australia and New Zealand that more needs to be done to create a safer environment for retail workers and customers,” Chappell continued. “The information gathered can help to guide the sector, industry leaders, policymakers and authorities in the strategies, investments and technology solutions needed to make our retail environments safer for all.”