How to Create a Strong Safety Culture

A strong safety culture not only safeguards individuals from potential hazards but also cultivates an environment of trust and can lay the foundation for business success in an increasingly competitive market. Here is our advice for how you can create a strong safety culture.

Implement Employee Training

In conjunction with the necessary training to do the job, retailers should empower their workforce with additional skills to confidently navigate potential risks.

Training programs should align with the organisation's safety culture, emphasising that personal safety takes precedence over potential stock loss.

Employees need to know that their safety is a top priority.

While retailers have the right to detain shoplifters, many choose a "non-apprehend" approach to protect staff. This highlights the need for training that empowers employees to handle situations effectively rather than confronting criminals.

Training should cover de-escalation techniques, dynamic risk assessments and how to call for help in an incident.

These skills are crucial for retail staff when faced with angry and abusive customers, or the increasing threat of organised shoplifting. They can feel empowered to identify potential hazards and respond safely in challenging situations.

Encourage Open Communication

Research by the Retail Trust found that 90% of retail workers faced abuse, but 24% did not report incidents to managers because they didn’t feel anyone would help. This highlights the critical need for an open channel of communication within the workplace, as if incidents go unreported, they cannot be addressed.

To tackle this, management should actively encourage employees to provide feedback and share new ideas on how to improve staff safety. Implementing a formal, potentially anonymous, process that is widely promoted will help to generate contributions.

Employers could also actively seek feedback by conducting employee forums, opening the discussion within team meetings or asking employees directly within 1-1 meetings with managers. Concerns, verbal abuse and near misses should all be recorded as well as physical violence in order to accurately show the extent of the problem.

Mark Wood, UK Security and Standards Manager at Pret a Manger, explains how they approach this issue:

“Twice a year we have buddy days, when those in the support centre go out and work in shops on everything from serving customers to making sandwiches, so we get a true reflection of what happens in stores every day.”

By actively asking for feedback from employees at all levels, management can gain valuable insights into potential hazards that may otherwise go unreported and unnoticed. Additionally, frontline staff who interact directly with customers and handle day-to-day operations often have unique perspectives on safety risks that can inform safety protocols.

It's crucial for managers to prioritise personal safety directly, shifting away from generalisations such as "the most common incidents are slips, trips, and falls" and instead placing personal safety at the forefront of discussions and protocols.

Stand Up Against Staff Abuse and Harassment

Maintaining a safe and supportive work environment also involves a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of abuse or harassment directed at staff. Clear guidelines should be established, communicated, and strictly enforced to ensure that all employees feel protected against any kind of mistreatment and supported in the event of an incident.

By condemning such behaviour and addressing any reported incidents, management can send a strong message that the mistreatment of staff is unacceptable and will be met with serious consequences. This further helps to create an environment where everyone feels safe to speak up and intervene if they witness inappropriate behaviour.

Utilise Visible Deterrents

Implement signage to clearly communicate the protective measures in place for staff, utilising stickers or signs positioned in shop windows and throughout the store. Reminders stating that customers are being recorded and that abuse towards staff won’t be tolerated can serve as a powerful deterrent against potential threats.

In addition to these measures, retailers often invest heavily in physical security and manned guarding, yet the effectiveness of these methods can be limited. Security guards may be inexperienced, and with intermittent physical presence due to breaks, there are often gaps in security that criminals exploit. Given these issues and the shortage of security staff, retailers must explore technological solutions to enhance in-store security and deter criminal behaviour in store.

Body worn cameras worn by staff are a prime example of such technology, proven to reduce incidents of abuse and assault by 47%. Already adopted by retailers such as Lidl, Boots, and Tesco, these cameras are becoming more widely utilised across the industry and have proven useful in collecting crucial evidence to be used in the event of a dispute or incident.

Provide Simple Reporting Mechanisms

Organisations should ensure that reporting incidents is as effortless as possible for their employees. Reporting tools should be readily accessible, not just for incidents within the store but also during employees' commutes or off-site activities.

Equipping employees with tools that allow them to report incidents at the touch of a button ensures that incidents are documented accurately and promptly, providing organisations with an accurate measurement of risk across the business. This provides valuable insights into safety concerns and allows for them to be addressed.

Following these steps sends a clear message to potential offenders that your organisation takes safety seriously, but also reassures customers and employees that their safety and wellbeing is a top priority. They can also be used to empower individuals to remain vigilant, report any suspicious activity, and take appropriate actions to mitigate risks.