Almost half of the UK’s retail workforce is considering leaving the sector entirely due to worsening mental health and wellbeing concerns, new data shows.
Research from employment support firm Sonder reveals that 44 per cent of retail workers are mulling an exit from the industry, as abuse in the workplace becomes increasingly common.
Retail is the sector with the highest proportion of workers facing verbal abuse, with 52 per cent reporting such incidents over the past year alone.
Retail staff encounter abuse at nearly twice the rate of the average UK employee, and 15 per cent say they have felt unsafe while at work.
Nearly one in five retail workers, or 18 per cent, have experienced harassment, while 12 per cent have been threatened with physical violence.
According to the British Retail Consortium, more than 1,600 violent incidents against shop workers are recorded every single day across the UK.
This surge in aggression persists despite retailers having invested nearly £5.5bn into tackling crime over the past five years, suggesting current measures are falling short.
Craig Cowdrey, the chief executive of Sonder, said retail workers are facing “some of the highest levels of workplace aggression in the UK.”
Cowdrey warned that “repeated exposure to aggression can take a significant toll on someone’s health and ultimately influence whether people stay in the sector.”
He added that this is “a growing challenge for retailers at a time when employment costs are rising and hiring is becoming more expensive.”
The mental health crisis in retail is compounded by staffing pressures, with 59 per cent of workers saying employee absences are piling more pressure onto already-stretched teams.
A further 63 per cent of retail staff believe at least one sick day per year could have been avoided if they had received better workplace support.
Several senior retail executives have called on the government to take stronger action on worker safety and industry conditions in recent months.
In April, Marks and Spencer chief executive Stuart Machin wrote directly to the Home Secretary, demanding a crackdown on what he described as “brazen, organised, aggressive” retail crime.
Lord Richard Walker, boss of grocery chain Iceland and Keir Starmer’s cost of living adviser, went further by arguing that retail staff should be armed with pepper spray and truncheons to deal with aggressive shoplifters.
More than 80 retail bosses have also written to the Prime Minister, warning that the “ladder is wobbling” on retail’s role as a gateway industry for young workers entering employment.
The letter cautioned that “it’s more expensive than ever to bring in young talent, and new Employment Rights Act changes are making managing our workforce more complicated when we need it to be simpler.”