Dealing with rude, impatient and disrespectful customers is often part of a hospitality worker’s week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the union for workers in retail and fast food says that has to stop and customers need to treat employees with respect all the time and especially during the busy Christmas period.
A Crown Street Mall cafe worker Radmila Sodolovic said some people treated her with disrespect because she was a waitress.
“Customers can get frustrated and treat me like I am lesser than them,” she said. “Some customers can be so rude.
“I don’t appreciate it when people came in and take their bad mood out on me.
“I am just trying to do my job the best I can and give them the best customer service possible.
“I can only do what I can when I have to serve customers, make coffees, take out food and more. All I ask is that people be patient.
It is stories like Ms Sodolovic that has prompted the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association to launch a ‘No One Deserves a Serve’ campaign that aims to change public behaviour toward fast food and retail workers.
The campaign comes after a recent survey of more than 1,000 fast food workers found 87 per cent of them had experienced verbal abuse or aggressive behaviour.
Fast food workers have received death threats, threats of rape and had items such as cigarettes and hot coffee thrown at them.
Katrina Morris, 37, from Engadine, who has worked in the fast-food industry for 13 years said she was abused by a customer recently because the soft serve machine had broken down.
“Just the other day a mother with a 3-year-old child screamed at me because the milkshake machine was broken, blaming me for making her son cry,” she said.
“At my restaurant a 16-year-old girl grabbed a staff member in a head lock and smashed a chicken burger into their face because it was cold.”
SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer said the union was appalled by the many reports it had received.
“Abusive and violent customer behaviour is a serious workplace health and safety issue that impacts the mental and physical health of fast food workers,” Mr Dwyer said.
“It’s clear that on a daily basis, fast food workers are being subjected to constant verbal abuse, threats of violence and in some cases, actual physical assault.
“Our message to the public is that this behaviour has got to stop. Copping abuse is not part of the job. No one deserves a serve.”
Ms Sodolovic and Michael Graham, owner of Quay Canteen in Crown Street Mall, support the campaign.
“Occasionally we get people who are disgruntled but with good customer service we can often stop people from getting upset,” he said.
“I always tell my staff to stand their ground but it is balancing act when trying to keep the customer happy.
“There are often so many variables that contribute to staff being busy such as someone who is off sick or who is unwell at work or a shift might be extra busy.
“Customers need to understand we are doing our best and they may need to wait a little longer.”
Ms Sodolovic said it was important for customers to think before reacting, especially during the busy Christmas period.
“People should be kind because workers would often rather be with their families and people should think about how they would like to be treated,” she said.
Mr Dwyer called on employers to take take a zero-tolerance approach to disrespectful behaviour and support workers when incidents occurred.
“We acknowledge that Christmas can be a busy and stressful time for many people, but that does not excuse rude, offensive and disrespectful behaviour toward fast food and retail staff,” he said.
