Retail work is getting harder, and it’s taking a real toll. Across Australia, our members in retail are facing increasing stress from understaffing, excessive workloads, and customer abuse. These conditions are creating serious risks to work as mental health and wellbeing.
The SDA’s Under Pressure campaign exposes these real risks and calls for urgent action to make retail work safer and more sustainable.
THE HIDDEN COST OF RETAIL
We surveyed more than 11,000 retail workers for the Under Pressure: The Hidden Cost of Retail report. These results show a workforce under severe stress:
- 77% are at high risk of harm
- 72% report burnout
- 58% experience very low well being
- Nearly half intend to leave the industry
The retail industry employs about 10 per cent of Australia’s workforce, and far too many workers are struggling under unsafe conditions.
A HEALTH AND SAFETY CRISIS
Or our report identifies major psychological hazards- risks that damage mental health as seriously as physical injuries.
The most common hazards include:
- Inadequate staffing
- Work overload
- Customer abuse and aggression and low supervisor support
- Role conflict or unclear expectations
These hazards lead to stress fatigue, and burnout. Under occupational health and safety laws, employers must protect both the mental and physical health of their employees, which means addressing these risks.
WHY SAFE STAFFING MATTERS
Inadequate staffing is the number one hazard. When shifts go unfilled, workloads skyrocket, and workers skip breaks just to keep up.
Safe staffing means having the right number of people come on with the right skills, on every shift, and replacing absent workers being necessary.
The benefits are clear:
- Fewer injuries
- Less burnout,
- Better customer service, and
- Lower staff turnover.
5-POINT PLAN FOR A SAFER WORKPLACE
To tackle this crisis, the SDA has developed a 5-Point plan to make retail workplaces safer:
- Safe staffing levels
Ensure sufficient staff to meet service demands and guarantees safety - Sustainable workloads
Set realistic workloads that can be completed safely within paid hours - Support for frontline workers
Provide proper training, supervision, and backup to manage workload and customer interactions. - Consultation on workplace change
Involve workers when new systems, technologies, or processes are introduced - Collaborative work design
Build work practices that reflect how the job is actually done, not just how it’s imagined.
This plan gives employers and regulators a clear path to improve health, safety, and wellbeing across the retail sector.
A CALL FOR CHANGE
SDA’s Under Pressure campaign is demanding that employers, regulators, and the government take the mental health of retail workers seriously.
Safe staffing, sustainable workloads, and real consultation are essential to building a safer and more respectful retail industry.
Retail workers deserve better, and the SDA is working hard to make sure every worker can go to work without risking their mental health.