Home topics news Image credit: Dapiki Moto on Unsplash News Retail News New research reveals shocking amount of abuse experienced by Australian retail workers Rhea Laxmi Nath January 4, 2022 As the holiday season comes to an end and some of the pressure on Australian retail workers subsides, new research by the University of Sydney (USYD) and the Australian National University (ANU) reveals the massive toll of the pandemic on these workers. The report, titled Pandemic Pressures: Job Security and Customer Relations for Retail Workers, found that a startling 56 per cent of workers in the retail, fast-food, and distribution industry had experienced customer abuse in the past year. This was especially the case for women, young workers, and culturally and linguistically diverse workers. Report co-author Professor Rae Cooper, from the University of Sydney Business School, said, “Workers feel disrespected and report that they have been on the receiving end of disrespectful treatment, threatening behaviour and bad manners from retail customers.” The research also revealed that 55 per cent of casual workers, 44 per cent of permanent part-time workers, and 40 per cent of permanent full-time workers felt their job security had decreased during the pandemic. “Due to pandemic-related job losses, many workers in the sector are feeling much more insecure than they were before the pandemic and are seeking better security of employment. We need to make jobs in this sector more secure and predictable as we move into recovery,” Professor Cooper elaborated. Employees in the fast-food, retail, and