Matt, 40, general manager, West Midlands
“Two years ago, we noticed an increase in aggression and violence over things like an expired receipt or a non-refundable item. People would get confrontational, and we had two or three incidents where managers were assaulted. This had a negative impact on team morale, but things have improved in the last six months. We put that down to our feedback to head office and the new measures and processes we have put in place.
“We have de-escalation training for managers on how to deal with threatening customers and advice on tone of voice and body language for junior managers, to help colleagues feel mentally prepared. We hold regular wellbeing meetings with the team and if they’re off due to an incident, we look at what we can put in place to support their return, such as increasing guard coverage and enlisting an external security company.
“The debrief is vital so if something happens today, we talk about it as a team the next morning – what happened, what could we do differently? By taking immediate action, the team feels supported.”
