New research with LPRC reveals theft and crime are driving retail workers to look for new roles

Retail is a cornerstone of the American economy: the industry supports 1 in 4 American jobs. But our research reveals that we’re failing the 55M workers when it comes to one of their most basic needs: safety. 

Too many retail workers don’t feel safe at work today. Episodes of theft, verbal harassment, and violence are fostering a culture of fear, and it is taking a very real and measurable toll on the workforce. We can see in the data how the stress of the current environment is pushing too many retail workers to pursue safer alternatives. 

To better understand the state of safety and the emotional toll it’s taken on retail workers, we partnered with the Loss Prevention Research Council to conduct a mixed-methods study. First, Harris Poll distributed an online survey to over 1,000 retail workers across the United States. Next, the Loss Prevention Research Council conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 retail workers sourced by Harris Poll. 

The findings detailed in this report, reveal the challenges facing retail workers and, importantly, offer insights and solutions for employers tasked with addressing them. Highlights include:

• Safety concerns are widespread, and workers report higher-ups aren’t taking action: More than one in four (27%) retail workers reported feeling unsafe at work. Those fears aren’t unfounded: more than half (54%) of retail workers experienced customer aggression or harassment. Despite these persistent threats, nearly one in four (22%) retail workers say their workplace has minimal to no security and 62% say that their company hasn’t changed the level of security measures in the last 12 months. 

• These threats have a ripple effect on retention and hiring: Nearly twenty percent of retail workers report they have considered looking for a new job due to personal safety concerns, and they are motivated: 40% report they are likely to leave their current job in the next 12 months due to personal safety concerns. Retailers face hurdles when they’re backfilling these roles, though: 37% of store managers agree that concerns about safety are a barrier to hiring. 

• Retail workers believe better security would help: Nearly three in four (71%) retail workers who have experienced some type of violence at work say they would feel safer with enhanced security measures. Those same respondents say that theft (77%), robbery (76%), and physical assaults (61%) could have been prevented had better security been in place. 

• But just increasing security isn’t enough: Retail workers also need better mechanisms to report these threats to law enforcement. Only half (52%) of respondents always report violent incidents to police/law enforcement. The number drops even lower when asked about witnessing a coworker(s) experiencing physical violence, where only 44% reported to police or law enforcement. 

Access the full report here.