NCJ Number
181526
Journal
Journal of Security Administration Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Dated: December 1999 Pages: 23-30
Date Published
December 1999
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This survey examines violent victimization of staff in the retail sector.
Abstract
The workplace is increasingly recognized as a setting for criminal victimization, including bullying and the use of violence. According to the 1988 British Crime Survey, retail staff were twice as likely as “average” workers to be assaulted at work. The survey compiled statistics on victims of workplace physical assault in a national UK clothes retailing company. The company was a high-profile market leader in quality fashion clothes for both men and women with nearly 300 stores nationwide. A random sample of 448 employees were asked about physical assaults, the ways in which the victims and the company responded to aggression, and the extent of verbal abuse, harassment and threatening behavior. The vast majority of victims were traumatized (scared, shaken or angry). In 54 percent of cases, the victim considered the manager’s response to have been caring, sympathetic and supportive and the incident to have been handled well. In contrast, 33 percent of victims viewed the manager as annoyed or irritated by the incident and largely unsupportive. The article recommends ways to establish a company culture that gives staff the confidence to acknowledge insecurities, training in identifying and dealing with threatening situations and support should incidents occur. Tables, bibliography