Johnny, store manager, London
“As a retailer in a high street store, abusive language is one of the main things we encounter. One memorable incident was witnessing a racist comment aimed at one of my Muslim colleagues. Seeing somebody treated like that, it’s not nice. It leaves people feeling insecure, affecting their work life and off-balance in your personal life as well because its emotionally damaging.
“I attended the Retail Trust training session and loved the whole thing. A lot of things I am digesting and will take personally back to my team. One of the things mentioned was making sure you ask colleagues and teams before they leave work, ‘how was your day and did you find anything challenging?’ It’s about being there and making sure they’re ok.
“I loved the information about mirror neurons and understanding how our own bodies react in a certain way, how we should not mimic aggression and verbal abuse even though our mind is telling us to. The breathing exercises were helpful too and it’s something that should be shared with all retailers.”
