Fewer than half of UK frontline workers believe reporting customer abuse or aggression results in meaningful action, as new research reveals gaps in employer follow-up and serious consequences for employee stress, confidence and retention.
Fewer than half (48%) of UK frontline workers believe reporting customer abuse or aggression leads to meaningful action, according to new research highlighting a significant gap between having workplace reporting procedures and what happens after employees actually speak up. The findings from body-worn camera company HALOS reveal that although 42% of workers reported the last serious incident they experienced, many received little more than an acknowledgement afterwards.
Among frontline workers who had either reported a serious incident themselves or knew a colleague who had, almost a third (31%) said the report was simply acknowledged. Just one in five (20%) said support was offered, only 14% received updates about the outcome and 8% said there was no response at all.
The UK findings form part of HALOS’s wider Not Part of the Job: 2026 Frontline Worker Safety Report, drawing on independent research involving 2,500 frontline workers across the UK and US. The research suggests customer abuse is not simply an isolated workplace safety problem, but one with potentially serious consequences for employee wellbeing, confidence, performance and retention.
CUSTOMER ABUSE TAKES TOLL ON WORKERS
The wider findings reveal the scale of the problem. Across the UK and US research, 57% of frontline workers said they had experienced abuse themselves or knew a colleague who had during a typical four-week period. Some 86% reported increased stress or anxiety because of customer abuse, while 66% had considered leaving their job because of it.
Perhaps most concerning is the extent to which abuse appears to have become normalised: 39% said customer abuse was treated as “just part of the job”. The findings echo wider evidence of workplace abuse in Britain. Previous TUC research found that eight in 10 UK workers had experienced abuse at work during the previous year. The survey of 5,004 workers found 79.1% had experienced verbal abuse, 44.9% had been threatened with physical harm and 19.4% had experienced physical assault.
More than half (51.4%) said abuse occurred weekly or more often, while almost a third (32.8%) experienced mental trauma following the most serious incident. The impact among UK workers in the HALOS research also extends well beyond the incident itself. Some 86% said customer abuse had caused stress or anxiety, while 79% reported feeling anxious before beginning a shift because of the possibility of encountering aggressive customers.
Three-quarters (75%) said abuse had knocked their confidence, 42% struggled to reset following an abusive incident and 30% said it had disrupted their sleep. Meanwhile, 87% said they had become more cautious or avoidant when dealing with customers. The findings raise questions about whether employers are treating customer aggression primarily as a security incident when its effects can extend into employee wellbeing, engagement and retention.
EMPLOYEES RELUCTANT TO REPORT ABUSE
The UK findings point to another problem: workers may be reluctant to report incidents when they lack confidence that doing so will make a difference. Almost one in five (19%) UK workers who deal with the public said reporting incidents was not quick and straightforward at their workplace. Among employees who did not report their most recent serious incident, 26% said they did not believe anything would happen if they did.
Nearly one in five (19%) also said they did not believe their employer was proactive about preventing customer abuse. That lack of confidence is echoed in the TUC findings. Among workers who did not report abuse, 51.9% said violence was regarded as “part of the job”, while 33.7% believed nothing would be done. The research prompted renewed calls for employers to challenge the normalisation of workplace abuse and take visible action when incidents occur.
The problem can also intersect with discrimination. As Fair Play Talks recently reported in an investigation into rising racist abuse against NHS workers, just 21% of Black workers experiencing unfair treatment, racism or harassment reported their most recent incident to their employer. Among those who did speak up, some subsequently experienced transfers, isolation or disciplinary action and counter-complaints.
WORKPLACE MISTREATMENT
Concerns about employers failing to act on workplace mistreatment are not new. Previous research from the UK’s CIPD found nearly a quarter of UK employees believed bullying and harassment were routinely overlooked by employers. Taken together, the evidence suggests that simply giving employees a mechanism for reporting harmful behaviour is not enough. Workers also need confidence that their concerns will be taken seriously and followed by visible action.
Across HALOS’s wider UK and US research, 67% said their employer had clear reporting protocols. Yet only 14% received an update after reporting a serious incident. More than a third (35%) said reporting took too long, 42% felt incidents could become a case of “my word against theirs”, while 27% believed nothing would happen. The findings suggest employers risk creating a vicious circle – poor follow-up reduces confidence in reporting; lower reporting leaves organisations with less visibility of abuse; and incomplete data makes it harder to identify recurring risks and intervene.
DEALING WITH CUSTOMER AGGRESSION
Customer aggression also sits within a broader workplace picture in which some groups experience disproportionate levels of abuse, bullying and harassment. Past TUC research found “shockingly high” levels of bullying, discrimination and harassment affecting disabled workers, with mistreatment coming not only from colleagues but also from customers, clients, patients and members of the public.
Workplace abuse is not confined to face-to-face encounters either. Separate research previously covered by Fair Play Talks found that one in three working women had experienced online abuse connected with their professional lives. Together, these findings reinforce the need for employers to consider abuse and harassment as a broader workforce risk rather than a series of isolated incidents.
WORKERS WANT BETTER FOLLOW-UP AND SAFETY TOOLS
UK workers were also clear about what could improve their confidence. Almost a third (31%) said easier reporting and clear updates about outcomes would make the biggest difference to their safety and wellbeing at work.
Technology emerged as another factor. More than half (54%) of UK respondents said they would feel safer with better technology to manage and document abusive incidents. However, 19% said they were not provided with the tools and technology needed to protect staff and ensure incidents were followed up.
Across the broader UK and US study, 54% said visible safety measures such as body-worn cameras could discourage abusive behaviour. Technology alone, however, cannot address the cultural and management issues raised by the research. Effective reporting also depends on workers trusting managers to listen, investigate incidents, provide appropriate support and communicate what action has been taken.
SECURITY WORKERS ALSO REPORT FOLLOW-UP GAP
The problem is also evident among workers whose roles are specifically focused on security. Among the 150 UK security workers surveyed, 46% reported their most recent serious customer-abuse incident. Yet just 20% said support was offered afterwards.
Only half (50%) believed reporting incidents led to meaningful action, while 34% of security workers who had reported an incident or knew somebody who had said the report was acknowledged only. Just 18% received an update on the outcome.
More than half (53%) said better technology for documenting abusive incidents would make them feel safer, while 42% wanted faster access to backup. More than two-thirds (69%) believed visible safety measures could discourage abusive behaviour.
REPORTING SHOULD BE THE START, NOT THE END
Commenting on the findings, Alan Ring, CEO of HALOS, said: “Reporting an incident of customer abuse should be the start of the process, not the end of it. But these findings suggest that too many reports are acknowledged without workers receiving support or clarity about what happens next. That lack of follow-through can weaken confidence in the process and make it harder for employers to identify patterns, support their teams and prevent further incidents. If people believe nothing will change, they may be less likely to report the next incident, leaving employers with an incomplete picture of the risks their teams face.
Reporting must be “quick and straightforward”, as workers need to be kept informed and managers need reliable evidence on which to act, added Ring. “When staff can see that speaking up leads to support and meaningful action, they’re far more likely to trust the process and feel confident reporting future incidents.”
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
Customer abuse should not be regarded as an unavoidable consequence of working with the public. The HALOS findings add to a growing body of evidence showing that workplace abuse – whether it comes from customers, patients, clients, colleagues or online – can have lasting consequences for workers’ mental health, confidence and willingness to remain with an employer.
It can also overlap with discrimination. Fair Play Talks recently highlighted increasingly overt racist abuse experienced by NHS workers, including racial slurs, anti-immigrant comments and patients refusing treatment from Black and Asian healthcare professionals.
That evidence reinforces an important point: employer responsibility for protecting workers does not end when the perpetrator is a customer, patient, client or member of the public rather than a colleague. Indeed, the Health and Safety Executive defines work-related violence as incidents in which someone is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work. Crucially, that includes verbal abuse and threats and can involve customers, clients, patients, service users and members of the public.
IMPACT OF ABUSIVE BEHAVIOUR
When abusive behaviour contributes to anxiety before shifts, disrupted sleep, reduced confidence and employees considering leaving their jobs, preventing and responding to aggression becomes more than a security issue. It is also a workplace wellbeing, inclusion, people management and retention issue.
Employers also need an accurate picture of what their frontline employees are experiencing. If workers stop reporting incidents because they believe nothing will happen, organisations may underestimate both the frequency and severity of customer aggression. The findings therefore highlight an important distinction between having a reporting policy and creating a reporting culture employees actually trust.
WHAT EMPLOYERS SHOULD DO NEXT
The findings suggest employers need to move beyond simply encouraging workers to report abuse. A credible approach requires prevention, simple reporting, immediate support, meaningful follow-up and evidence that incidents are being used to reduce future risk.
Make customer abuse a workplace safety issue Abuse from customers, patients and members of the public should not be treated as an inevitable occupational hazard. The Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on violence and aggression at work covers both physical attacks and verbal abuse or threats. It also makes clear that work-related violence can come from members of the public, customers, clients, patients, service users and students.
Employers should therefore assess where and when incidents are most likely to occur, which roles face greater exposure and whether factors such as lone working, inadequate staffing, particular locations or certain types of customer interaction increase the risk. The HSE recommends identifying who might be harmed, evaluating the risks, deciding what precautions are required and consulting workers about their experiences.
Make reporting incidents simple and safe
The HALOS finding that some workers do not report incidents because they believe nothing will happen should be a warning sign. Reporting systems should be easy to access during or immediately after an incident, with workers clear about what should be reported, where it should be recorded, who will see it and what happens next.
The HSE specifically identifies complicated or time-consuming procedures and the belief that “nothing will be done” as reasons workers may fail to report violence. It recommends developing a recording system that is quick and easy to use and demonstrating to employees that the organisation will act on what it learns.
That echoes the wider evidence. As Fair Play Talks previously reported, eight in 10 UK workers experienced workplace abuse in the previous year, while many non-reporters regarded violence as part of the job or believed nothing would happen. Employers therefore need to tackle both practical barriers to reporting and the cultural belief that reporting is pointless.
Acknowledge and close the loop after every report
This is arguably the biggest lesson from the HALOS research. Acknowledging an incident is not the same as resolving it. Workers should know their report has been received, whether it is being investigated, and what support is available. Additionally, it should include what action or preventative measures will follow.
The HSE advises employers to record incidents, investigate them to build a picture of risks and triggers, review whether existing controls are working and determine whether further action is needed. It also notes that recording incidents can demonstrate to workers that violence is being taken seriously.
Employers could establish basic follow-up standards. This would include issues such as acknowledgement within a defined timeframe, a named point of contact and an update once an incident has been reviewed. The objective should be simple: no worker should report a serious incident and then hear nothing.
Provide support after an incident
Employer responsibility should not finish when the immediate threat has passed. HALOS’s findings show that customer abuse can affect anxiety, sleep and confidence. The HSE similarly warns that violence and aggression can affect workers’ physical and mental health and advises employers to provide suitable support after incidents.
That might involve giving someone time and space immediately afterwards, checking on their wellbeing, temporarily adjusting duties or working conditions where appropriate. It should also provide access to confidential counselling or other support.
Managers should therefore be trained not only in de-escalating incidents but in what to do afterwards. A worker who has just experienced serious verbal abuse should not simply be expected to return immediately to serving the next customer without anyone checking how they are.
Give workers permission to protect themselves
Policies should make clear when employees can stop an interaction, call for assistance or remove themselves from an unsafe situation. Workers should not have to choose between protecting themselves and worrying that they will subsequently be criticised for providing poor customer service.
Employers should establish clear escalation thresholds: When can an employee end an interaction? Who provides backup? When should security or police become involved? And what happens when the same customer repeatedly behaves abusively?
The HSE advises employers to use appropriate control measures based on their risk assessment rather than relying on a single intervention.
Address discriminatory abuse explicitly
Not all customer aggression is the same. Abuse may be racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic, religiously motivated or otherwise discriminatory – and employers should make clear that unacceptable behaviour does not become acceptable simply because it comes from a paying customer, patient or client.
That issue was highlighted recently when Fair Play Talks reported rising racist abuse against NHS workers, including racial slurs, anti-immigrant comments and patients refusing treatment from Black and Asian healthcare professionals.
Employers should therefore review whether their dignity-at-work, bullying, harassment and discrimination policies adequately cover behaviour from customers, patients, service users, contractors and clients, rather than focusing solely on interactions between employees.
Use incident data to prevent recurrence
Reporting should not only create a record of what has already happened. It should help prevent recurrence. Employers should regularly analyse incident data to identify patterns across locations, shifts, job roles, customer interactions, types of abuse and repeat perpetrators.
The HSE says recording incidents can help employers investigate risks and triggers and assess whether existing control measures are working. That makes reporting data a management tool rather than simply an HR or compliance record.
Where patterns emerge, the response might involve changing staffing levels, redesigning processes, improving physical security, and altering lone-working arrangements. Employers should also consider providing additional training or addressing recurring problems with particular customers or locations.
Use tech as part of the solution, but not the whole of it
The HALOS findings show significant employee appetite for better technology to document abusive incidents. Tools such as body-worn cameras, panic alarms, mobile reporting systems and other safety technology may be appropriate in some environments, particularly where a workplace risk assessment identifies significant exposure to aggression. But technology should support rather than substitute for good management.
The HSE’s approach is based on employers assessing their particular risks and putting appropriate control measures in place. A camera may provide evidence of what happened. It cannot ensure that a manager takes the report seriously, checks on the employee afterwards, addresses a recurring risk or changes an unsafe workplace practice.
Make managers accountable for follow through
Finally, employers should be able to answer a basic question: who owns the problem once an employee reports abuse? Managers need clear responsibilities for responding to incidents, escalating serious cases, supporting affected employees and ensuring promised action actually happens.
Senior leaders should also review reporting trends rather than treating customer abuse solely as an operational or security issue. Useful measures could include reporting rates, response times, repeat incidents, employee satisfaction with follow-up, absence following incidents and whether agreed preventative actions were completed.
Because the measure of an effective reporting system is not simply how many reports it collects. It is whether workers can see that speaking up leads to support, action and a safer workplace.
FINAL TAKEAWAY: REPORTING MUST LEAD TO ACTION
The central message from the research is straightforward: customer abuse should not simply be accepted as part of frontline work. Employers cannot necessarily prevent every abusive customer interaction. But they can determine what happens before, during and after one.
They can assess risks, give workers clear routes to safety, make reporting straightforward, provide support, investigate what happened and use the evidence to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
Most importantly, they can demonstrate that speaking up is worthwhile. Because if employees repeatedly report abuse and see nothing change, a reporting process may exist on paper while trust in it disappears in practice.
Abuse from customers, clients, patients or members of the public should not be “part of the job” – and employers need to demonstrate through their actions that reporting it leads to action.
Click here to download the full report.
RELATED ARTICLES
Eight in 10 UK workers have faced abuse at work in the past year, with nearly half threatened with physical harm and many experiencing it weekly, confirms TUC.
NHS staff report a rise in racist abuse as UK workplace discrimination persists, with new evidence revealing racial slurs, and patients refusing treatment from Black and Asian healthcare workers.
A quarter of employees think bullying and harassment are ‘swept under the carpet’ by their employers, according to CIPD report.
The number of disabled workers at the receiving end of bullying, discrimination and harassment is “shockingly high”, warns TUC.
One-third of women experience online abuse at work, with devastating consequences on their careers, according to research.
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