Three-fourths, 72%, of frontline workers experience or witness customer incivility on a daily or weekly basis, with just 1% stating they've never encountered the behavior in the past year.
That's a top finding from an Axonify report, "Polling the frontline: Dealing with difficult customers," that also revealed bad customer behavior is rise driven by escalating prices, understaffing and customer-centric policies that have fostered a skewed sense of entitlement.
"Frontline workers in retail, hospitality and food service juggle an ever-growing list of responsibilities, which becomes increasingly difficult amid economic and labor market challenges," Carol Leaman, co-founder and CEO of Axonify, said in a press release on the report's findings. "As these challenges persist, it is crucial for employers to provide their frontline workforce with continuous learning to ensure they remain prepared and safe."
Over half of those polled expressed apprehension about handling escalating situations (53%) or finding themselves without adequate information during critical moments (52%).
Additional findings include:
- Current worker training programs focus heavily on company policy rather than practical conflict resolution skills (41%), lack real-world applicability (39%) and occur primarily at onboarding without reinforcement later on (25%). Consequently, more than two-fifths (44%) desire scenario-based training with real-time practice opportunities and want to shadow experienced employees before handling difficult situations alone. Additionally, one-third (34% across food & beverage, hospitality and retail) want ongoing training integrated into their shifts and one-fifth (19%) want a digital library with quick-access guides about handling conflict.
- Dealing with incivility is causing frontline workers to experience burnout (47%), feel disengaged at work (28%), consider leaving their industry entirely (26%) and is negatively impacting their motivation (20%).
- As consumer demands fluctuate rapidly, over one-fifth (22%) worry they won't meet expectations. One-third (34%) of frontline workers say these shifting expectations are highly impacting their level of burnout.