An industry-wide survey into the experiences of customer violence and aggression for retail employees has been announced, as stakeholders talk of preparing a “joint response”.

Commissioned by retail training provider ShopCare, the survey was created in response to New Zealand’s lack of data on how frequently workers face such behaviour from customers. It is targeted at “thousands of workers” and will be made available later this year. 

The survey will be delivered in collaboration with KMPG, ShopCare said.

“Right now, we don’t have a clear national view of what our customer-facing workers in Aotearoa are experiencing,” Selena Armstrong, CEO of ShopCare, said. “We want to hear directly from them – what’s happening, how it’s affecting them personally, and what needs to change.”

The survey is open to respondents until May 31. Responses are anonymous and confidential.

“Everyone has the right to come to work and feel safe, and go home safely to their whānau and to be safe when they shop in store,” added Denva Wren, head of safety, health, and wellbeing at Woolworths New Zealand.

“Unfortunately, acts of violence and aggression at work pose a serious safety risk to our team, customers, and communities, despite our existing security measures,” Wren continued.

“We know this can take a heavy toll on mental and physical health, and this survey will help us understand the reality of what the whole sector is experiencing so we can work on a joint response.”