The SDA – the Union for workers in retail, fast food and warehousing, has launched a new campaign and 5-Point Plan in response to alarming new research that reveals the retail industry is under pressure with unacceptable psychosocial risks, from understaffing, to excessive workloads, poor workplace change management and increased customer abuse, placing workers at very high risk of harm.
The Under Pressure: The Hidden Cost of Retail report, based on a survey of more than 11,000 retail workers across nine sectors, revealed the extent of the crisis:
- 77% of workers are at high risk of harm from psychosocial hazards
- 72% report burnout – twice the rate across other industries
- 58% report very low well-being
- 49% intend to resign
- Only 6% would recommend their workplace to others.
Inadequate staffing was the number one hazard across the sector, followed by other major risks including customer aggression, work overload, low job control and poor change management.
SDA National Secretary Gerard Dwyer said the research should be a call to action for government, employers and regulators.
“Retail is Australia’s second largest employing industry and the first job for many young people.
“Yet our research shows it is an industry under pressure with workers facing significant psychosocial risks.
“Understaffed, facing unsustainable workloads and rising customer aggression amidst a wave of technology-driven workplace changes, is driving stress, fatigue and burnout on a scale that is both unacceptable, unsustainable and unsafe. Psychosocial risks are work health and safety risks and need to be addressed,” he said.
“This isn’t just bad for workers, it’s bad for business. Unsafe, unsustainable workplaces mean higher turnover, higher absenteeism and lower productivity. We need urgent, industry-wide action.”
To tackle these risks, the SDA is launching a new campaign and 5-Point Plan for Promoting Psychosocial Safety, developed in collaboration with evidence-based research and extensive consultation with frontline workers. The plan calls for:
- Safe staffing levels – enough workers with the right skills to do the job safely, with adequate hours and coverage at peak times or when staff are absent.
- Sustainable workloads – realistic task expectations, with technology used to support workers, not intensify their workload.
- Support for frontline workers – proper training, clear role expectations, effective supervision and proactive responses to customer abuse.
- Consultation on workplace change – genuine engagement with workers and their union before changes are made, backed by thorough risk assessments.
- Collaborative work design – involving workers in the design of new technologies, processes and layouts to ensure changes improve jobs rather than undermine them.
Mr Dwyer said the SDA’s plan aligns with Safe Work Australia’s Code of Practice for managing psychosocial hazards and provides a practical framework for creating safer, more productive workplaces.
“We’re calling on government and business to work together with our Union to implement these changes.
“Better retail workplaces start with safe staffing levels and sustainable workloads. Listening to and supporting frontline workers reduces psychosocial risks and benefits everyone – workers, businesses and customers alike,” he said.
