1 in 4 employees face customer aggression weekly – what can leaders do to help?

The message we send to our frontline teams must be unequivocal: your safety matters, abuse is never acceptable, and we stand ready to protect and support you, writes Nathan Halliday.

A disturbing trend has emerged in customer-facing workplaces that demands our immediate attention: a staggering 25 per cent of frontline employees now face customer aggression at least weekly – a significant jump from 18 per cent in 2022.

As leaders, these aren’t just statistics to note in quarterly reports; they represent the lived experience of our teams, the same people we expect to represent our brands with positivity and professionalism despite facing regular abuse.

Perhaps most concerning is that nearly one-third (29 per cent) of employees who experience aggression report receiving no support from their employers. This disconnect between workplace reality and organisational response creates a perfect storm of disengagement, burnout, and ultimately, talent exodus.

The changing face of workplace violence

The traditional understanding of workplace violence as purely physical is dangerously outdated. Today’s occupational violence and aggression (OVA) encompasses verbal abuse, intimidation, racial vilification, and sexual harassment. As Katie Alexander, principal consultant psychologist at Australian Psychological Services, powerfully articulates: “It’s not part of the job to be harmed by it.”

Yet for many frontline workers, enduring abuse has become normalised, an unspoken expectation embedded in customer-facing roles. This normalisation represents a collective failure of leadership.

Meaningful intervention begins with listening. Lindy Miller, head of people experience at TPG Telecom, highlights that “the richer source of data has come from when we’ve run focus groups with our frontline”. Too often, prevention strategies are developed in boardrooms, far removed from the realities of customer interaction. Effective solutions emerge when we amplify employee voices and make them central to our response planning.

Shifting from reaction to prevention

While post-incident support is critical, truly effective OVA management requires robust prevention. This means conducting thorough root cause analyses with frontline participation, developing clear de-escalation policies, and implementing tailored training programs. Organisations must also ensure realistic job previews during recruitment by setting accurate expectations rather than sugar-coating customer-facing realities.

A data-driven approach is essential. By fostering a culture where reporting is encouraged rather than stigmatised, leaders can identify trends and implement targeted preventative measures before incidents escalate.

Leadership as the first line of defence

Leaders play a pivotal role in addressing workplace aggression. As Alexander describes, they are the “first line of defence” for their teams. Equipping them with psychological first aid training empowers them to recognise distress signals and respond appropriately.

Miller’s observation that “Leaders are the people who you want to work for. They’re the reason you stay in your job” underscores the profound impact leadership quality has on retention. In environments where aggression is common, supportive leadership becomes not just beneficial but essential for organisational sustainability.

Person-centred response

When incidents do occur – and they will – a person-centred approach is crucial. This means offering varied support options rather than mandating one-size-fits-all interventions. Equally important is closing the feedback loop long term. It’s not just the immediate, in the moment response, it’s later that night, later that week, in a month’s time, when the team member is ruminating and can’t sleep, that the lasting impact of OVA can be truly felt. The feedback loop is long term; it’s important that impacted employees know where they can turn in the times that matter to them after the event.

Future-proofing workplace safety

Looking ahead, organisations must evaluate whether their own processes inadvertently escalate customer frustration. Utilising technology to enhance safety measures and removing identifiable employee information where possible are practical steps. Most importantly, safety strategies must evolve through continuous review and adaptation.

As leaders, we have both a moral and business imperative to address this growing crisis. The 25 per cent statistic should serve as our wake-up call. By implementing comprehensive risk assessments, enhancing training, establishing robust reporting systems, and fostering genuinely supportive workplace cultures, we can transform our approach to occupational violence.

The message we send to our frontline teams must be unequivocal: your safety matters, abuse is never acceptable, and we stand ready to protect and support you. Because ultimately, organisations that prioritise employee wellbeing don’t just retain talent – they thrive.

Nathan Halliday is the chief of member operations at Sonder.