---
title: When Protecting Colleagues Becomes a Legal Responsibility
description: Customer abuse is rising and new UK legislation raises employers' responsibilities. Why protecting colleagues is essential to great customer experience.
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 Nov 14, 2026, 5:44:17 PM

# When Protecting Colleagues Becomes a Legal Responsibility

![Picture of Mark Gould](https://www.retailcx.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/Mark%20Gould%20Colour%20Square.jpg?width=50&name=Mark%20Gould%20Colour%20Square.jpg) [Mark Gould](https://www.retailcx.ie/our-latest-thoughts-on-the-issues-and-solutions-in-customer-experience/author/mark-gould)

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![Tense Supermarket Checkout Confrontation](https://www.retailcx.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/Tense%20Supermarket%20Checkout%20Confrontation.png?width=960&height=540&name=Tense%20Supermarket%20Checkout%20Confrontation.png)

Customer abuse is rising, and new UK employment legislation raises the stakes for retailers and hospitality businesses. Yet the real challenge goes beyond legal compliance.

More than half of UK shop workers now experience abuse every week. New research from the Retail Trust finds that 54% of retail colleagues report weekly abuse, up from 43% in 2025 and 33% in 2024. Almost one in four respondents reported abuse involving a physical attack. Seven in ten workers affected by abuse said they felt stressed or anxious about going to work, while almost half said worsening customer behaviour had made them consider leaving their job or the industry.

These are the people we expect to welcome customers warmly, remain patient, handle complaints sensitively, and deliver excellent service. We constantly talk about the influence colleagues have on customers. Perhaps we should pay more attention to the influence customers have on colleagues.

##### The law has changed. Have employers?

On 30 October 2026, new provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 took effect in England, Scotland and Wales, strengthening employers' responsibilities to prevent workplace harassment, including harassment by customers and other third parties. Under the amended Equality Act 2010, employers may face liability if qualifying harassment occurs and they have failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent it. The provisions cover harassment under the Equality Act, including conduct related to protected characteristics and sexual harassment. They do not automatically render every instance of customer rudeness or aggression unlawful under these provisions. Nevertheless, the message for retail and hospitality leaders is clear.

**It is one thing to tell customers to respect your colleagues. It is quite another to show that your business has taken meaningful steps to protect them. A policy is not the same as protection.**

Most retailers have policies addressing unacceptable customer behaviour. Many display notices asking customers to treat colleagues respectfully. But what happens when a customer becomes abusive? Does the colleague know when to step back? Will a manager intervene? Will someone record the incident? Does the business support the colleague afterwards? Or does everyone expect them to recover, smile and serve the next customer?

In an earlier article, When the Customer Is Not Always Right, I described witnessing an abusive confrontation at a petrol station. The young colleague was visibly shaken but resumed serving customers almost immediately. What struck me was how one customer's behaviour could affect the experience of the next.

**A policy sets out what an organisation intends to do. Leadership behaviour determines what actually happens.**

Fast food has always prioritised speed, which makes sense. But an order delivered in four minutes rather than six is not an improvement if something is missing. A kiosk that reduces ordering time does not help if it sends more demand into a kitchen that cannot absorb it. A delivery platform may increase sales, but it may not increase customer value if it overwhelms the restaurant and damages the in-store experience.

**Efficiency is what the business measures. Experience is what the customer receives.**

The two should reinforce each other, but they don't automatically.

##### Are businesses contributing to the problem?

There is another uncomfortable question. How often do businesses create the frustrations that put colleagues in the firing line? Broken processes, unclear pricing, failed technology, long queues and poorly explained policies can turn an ordinary problem into a confrontation. None of these excuses abusive behaviour.

But consider a colleague handling a complaint when they lack the authority to resolve the problem. Or a customer who has spent an hour navigating automated systems before finally speaking to someone. Telling the colleague to remain calm is sensible, but it cannot compensate for every weakness in the operating model.

**Businesses should not simply train colleagues to manage customer frustration. They should work harder to eliminate the unnecessary frustration caused by their own processes.**

##### The commercial consequences

Customer abuse is not simply a colleague wellbeing issue. Experienced colleagues who leave take product knowledge, customer relationships and valuable skills with them. Recruiting and training replacements costs money. But another potential commercial consequence receives less attention.

A colleague who repeatedly experiences hostility may become more guarded, less confident and less inclined to approach customers proactively. That matters because retailers invest heavily in attracting customers and in training colleagues to engage, advise and sell. Yet the working environment may discourage precisely those behaviours. Colleague behaviours influence customer behaviours, which ultimately affect commercial outcomes. But the relationship works both ways.

**Customer behaviours also influence colleagues' confidence, motivation and willingness to engage.**

That makes colleague protection a commercial leadership responsibility, not merely an HR concern.

##### Three priorities for retail and hospitality leaders

**1. Prevent unnecessary confrontation.** Identify where colleagues face the greatest risks. Review the customer journeys, policies and operational failures that routinely cause frustration.

**2. Equip and support colleagues.** Provide practical communication and de-escalation training. Establish clear boundaries and ensure that managers intervene when customers cross them.

**3. Demonstrate that protection is real.** Record incidents, support affected colleagues, review what happened, and maintain evidence of the preventive measures the organisation has taken.

HR teams can develop policies and provide guidance, but store, restaurant and hotel managers determine what happens when those policies meet reality. There is a difference between telling colleagues that they matter and demonstrating it when circumstances become difficult.

##### My final thought

The customer is not always right. However, customers with legitimate complaints deserve to be heard, treated fairly, and offered a reasonable resolution. When customers become abusive, colleagues deserve the organisation's protection. The new legislation raises the legal stakes for employers, but responsible businesses should aim higher than minimum compliance. Protecting colleagues is not at odds with delivering an excellent customer experience. It is one of the conditions that makes an excellent customer experience possible.

**If we want colleagues to look after customers, we must be prepared to look after colleagues.**

---

*This article is an abridged version of my more detailed Substack article, [When Protecting Colleagues Becomes a Legal Responsibility, which](https://retailcx.substack.com/p/when-protecting-colleagues-becomes?r=6oqolv&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web) examines the new legislation, commercial risks, and five questions every retail and hospitality leader should answer.*

**Sources:**

- Retail Trust, *Over half of shop workers now abused or attacked every week*, [9 November 2026.](https://retailtrust.org.uk/about/news/over-half-of-shop-workers-now-abused-or-attacked-every-week-up-from-33-two-years-ago_163toAyZww)
- [Employment Rights Act 2025](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/1065/body/made?view=plain), sections 20 and 21, in force from 30 October 2026.
- RetailCX, *When the Customer Is Not Always Right*, [September 2026](https://www.retailcx.ie/our-latest-thoughts-on-the-issues-and-solutions-in-customer-experience/when-the-customer-is-not-always-right).

*Part of the RetailCX Blueprint, a growing collection of practical ideas, frameworks and real-world examples to help organisations deliver better customer and colleague experiences.*

*At RetailCX, we specialise in helping organisations harness leadership and employee engagement to enhance customer experiences. [Contact us](https://www.retailcx.ie/contact) to learn how we can support your journey toward a more innovative and customer-centric future.*

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