Retail’s Blind Spot: Why keeping colleagues safe now starts long before they step into store
The conversation around colleague safety in retail has shifted, and not subtly. What was once considered a largely operational issue, centred on loss prevention teams and in-store security, is now firmly a board-level, cross-functional priority.
In this fireside conversation, John Seddon of Peoplesafe and Liz Jewitt-Cross, one of retail’s most experienced HR leaders, discuss a simple but uncomfortable truth that sits at the heart of it all: you cannot protect people if you do not fully understand what they are experiencing.
Safety is no longer just about the store
Retail has historically approached safety through a physical lens. CCTV, deterrence measures, and more recently body-worn cameras have all played a role in protecting colleagues from theft and in-store incidents. But that model is no longer sufficient.
As John explains, there has been a clear move towards a much broader definition of safety. It now includes not just physical protection, but psychological safety, confidence in reporting, and a sense of support from the employer.
“It used to be about managing what happens on the shop floor,” he says. “Now it is about how someone feels throughout their entire working experience, including getting to work, leaving work, and whether they feel they can speak up when something happens.”
Liz agrees, placing the shift in a wider industry context. Retail remains one of the UK’s largest employers, with millions working across stores, support offices and the wider supply chain. That scale brings responsibility.
“We are seeing a combination of factors coming together,” she explains. “Higher expectations from employees, more visible incidents of abuse, pressure on public services, and rapidly advancing technology. All of that is forcing organisations to think more holistically about safety.”
What is emerging is a move away from reactive interventions towards a more integrated, preventative approach. One that connects employee experience, customer experience, operational design, and leadership accountability.
Where retailers are now most exposed
It is often assumed that the highest risk moments in retail are the obvious ones. Opening up a store, closing late at night, or managing lone working environments. While these remain important, both John and Liz are clear that the real areas of exposure are now broader and less visible. One of the biggest shifts is what happens beyond the store environment.
“We have invested heavily in making stores safer,” says John. “But the risk has not disappeared. In many cases, it has moved. That could be someone being followed outside, situations escalating after work, or incidents happening during the commute.”
This extension of risk raises difficult questions for employers. Where does duty of care begin and end? And how far should organisations go in supporting employees outside of their immediate working environment?
Liz highlights another evolving pressure point, the unintended consequences of operational change.
“As an industry, we are constantly innovating to improve efficiency and reduce cost,” she says. “But sometimes those changes create friction in the customer journey. And when customers are already frustrated, that interaction with a colleague can quickly escalate.”
The implication is clear. Safety cannot be isolated from the wider customer and operational strategy. Decisions made to improve efficiency can, in some cases, increase tension on the shop floor.
There is also the continued challenge of lone working, which remains more widespread than many organisations acknowledge. Reduced headcounts, longer trading hours, and cost pressures have all contributed to a reality where many colleagues are working in more exposed environments than before.
Overlay all of this with a less tolerant social climate and reduced police responsiveness, and the risk profile becomes significantly more complex.
The reporting gap that is hiding the real picture
If there is one consistent thread running through the discussion, it is this. Most organisations do not have a clear picture of what their people are experiencing day to day. Not because they are not interested, but because the systems and behaviours required to surface that reality are often not in place.
“The absence of reporting does not mean the absence of risk,” John says plainly.
In many cases, incidents go unreported because the process is too cumbersome or disconnected from the flow of work. Colleagues are expected to step away after an incident, complete forms, and relive what has happened. It is no surprise that many simply do not. This creates a dangerous gap between perception and reality.
“You can have experienced managers leaving your business, having dealt with repeated issues over time, and the organisation never properly understanding why,” John adds.
For Liz, this goes beyond process and into culture. “We have to create an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up,” she says. “That means regular engagement, not just annual surveys, but ongoing conversations, listening, and acting on what we hear.”
Both agree that improving visibility is not just about capturing more data but capturing better data.
That includes:
- Making reporting simple and immediate
- Allowing incidents to be logged in real time
- Ensuring visibility at leadership level
- Using data to identify patterns, locations, and repeated risks
Done well, this moves organisations from reactive response to proactive intervention. It also builds trust. When employees see that reporting leads to action, they are far more likely to engage.
Legislation is raising the bar on employer responsibility
Overlaying all of this is the new Worker Protection Act and Employment Rights Act, which is making the expectations on employers far more explicit. The move from reactive to proactive duty is perhaps the most significant shift.
“The expectation now is not just that you respond to incidents,” John explains.
This is where the point becomes sharper for retailers. These duties are not theoretical or somewhere off in the distance. The Worker Protection Act is already in force, and the direction of travel under wider employment law is clear. Employers are now expected to show that they have anticipated risks, taken reasonable preventative steps, and can evidence the actions they have put in place to protect their people.
Where those measures are missing, the risk is no longer only cultural or reputational. It is legal, operational, and immediate. This includes third-party harassment, a particularly relevant issue for retail, given the constant interaction with customers, contractors, and delivery partners.
For Liz, the key point is that compliance cannot be treated as a box-ticking exercise. “This is not about having the right policy document,” she says. “It is about how that policy lives day to day. Are employees engaged? Do they understand it? Does it reflect the reality of their environment?”
There is also increasing emphasis on communication and consultation. Employees need to understand what measures are being introduced, why they are being introduced, and how their data and privacy are being protected.
Importantly, Liz highlights the need for balance. “You can introduce technology, surveillance, or monitoring,” she says, “but you have to consider how that feels for employees. Safety cannot come at the expense of trust.”
Perhaps most critically, safety must now be embedded across the organisation, not owned by a single function.
John notes that responsibility still often sits with loss prevention or health and safety teams, but the most effective organisations are those where the conversation is shared.
Liz reinforces this point. “This has to be cross-functional. HR, operations, IT, customer experience, security. It all connects. And ultimately, it has to be visible at board level.” She is also clear that accountability must be formalised.
“If you do not measure it, it will not get done. This needs to be reflected in KPIs, role responsibilities, and leadership reporting.”
A fundamental reset in thinking
What comes through most clearly from the discussion is that retail is at a turning point. The issue of colleague safety is no longer confined to isolated incidents or operational teams. It is a defining part of employee experience, brand reputation, and organisational responsibility.
The four themes that underpin this shift are unmistakable:
- Safety must be viewed holistically, not just within physical store boundaries
- Risk exists in more places than organisations traditionally acknowledge
- Understanding the real experience of employees is critical, and currently lacking in many cases
- Legal expectations are increasing, with a clear demand for proactive, evidenced action
For retailers, the challenge now is not recognising the issue. That is largely understood. The challenge is responding in a way that is meaningful, joined up, and grounded in reality.
TRB concludes, bringing the conversation to a close, “Whatever angle you come from, operational, HR, legal, or technology, one thing is clear. If you cannot see what is really happening, you cannot fix it.”
And in today’s retail environment, that is no longer a risk any business can afford to carry.
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