Institute and enforce a customer code of conduct

Context

Employees at [Company] have been subjected to aggressive behavior and abuse from various customers, in large part due to new COVID-19 practices. We're seeing across our society that service employees are often the ones who bear the brunt of enforcing mask wearing and social distancing on behalf of the corporations that institute these policies. Unfortunately, this sometimes escalates to very serious and unsafe interactions with customers. Many employees have, at times, avoided asking a customer to abide by store policies out of fear of confrontation, abuse, or even violence. No [Company] employee should have to fear for their safety at work. And, no [Company] employee should have to risk their health because of the actions of customers. As service workers, we understand that we must tolerate occasional difficult customers, but we are experiencing frequent and escalating incidents with customers. We deserve to be treated with respect as well, and we believe management should enthusiastically support us in establishing a customer code of conduct at [Company] .

Reasoning

The obligation to manage employees and maintain a proper workplace falls on management. When the work environment is hostile because of customer interactions, employees need the support and guidance of [Company] . Our current remedy for negative customer interactions is vague at best and often varies between managers. We also have no company process for banning problematic customers. For these reasons, we are asking that [Company] develop and enforce a customer code of conduct to mitigate negative interactions.

What we’re asking

-Establish a group of managers and employees to develop a policy that outlines inappropriate behavior and consequences of that behavior.

• Establish reporting procedure for employees to make complaints about customers or report incidents. Make these reports available to all employees. -Provide yearly training to all staff in deescalation and dealing with hostile or rude customers.
• Ensure the premises are outfitted with reasonable safety devices, like cameras, door locks, and barriers between customer and staff areas.
• Post new customer code of conduct in a visible space which outlines repercussions for misbehavior including being ejected from the premise if they fail to comply.
• Conduct post-incident reviews to determine if employee is entitled to any counseling or medical services for physical or mental health injuries.