Did WH&S kill customer service?
In days gone by, customer service could be as simple as having your groceries carried to your car. These days that is a rare experience. In fact, the pendulum seems to have swung the other way, with some retailers requiring that customers perform manual handling of their goods without staff assistance for workplace health and safety reasons. Of course, not every retailer has adopted this approach, or if they have you may not have even noticed but let’s say:
- You want someone to help put the shopping into the trolley for you. or
- You need assistance lifting that trampoline or 85-inch TV you just bought?
It may be the case that you’ll need to do it yourself or bring a friend.
So, is this an outrageous example of workplace health and safety being taken too far?
In my opinion no, and yes.
As much as the assistance of sales people with lifting and carrying tasks is taken for granted by us as customers we do need to see it from the other side.
Retail employees experience high rates of musculoskeletal injuries associated with manual handling and repetitive tasks. Because historically ‘the customer comes first’ or ‘the customer is always right’ poor workplace health and safety attitudes and practices have become ingrained.
Only in the past couple of years it seems, have retailers begun to prioritise employee health and safety and communicate this to customers.
It is not surprising that we are a little taken back as customers when we are told no, as we are conditioned to expect that nothing is too much trouble. Importantly though if we ask someone to perform a task that is beyond their physical (or cognitive) capacity they should feel okay to say no and not be subjected to ridicule or harassment as a result.
Importantly though, shifting a risk does not eliminate it. While the problem may be solved for a retailer when they refuse to assist with heavy lifting or repetitive tasks it still poses the risk (and cost) of injury or impairment for the customer. Over time this is an issue which is going to require some out of the box thinking and innovative solutions. Having customers injured themselves loading that TV or trampoline into the car is hardly a desirable outcome.
At HR Business Direction we can assist and advise on your Workplace Health and Safety issues. Contact us here.
Christina Willcox MHSc; PostGradDip OHS; BBus(HRM)
Workplace Health & Safety Specialist
christina.willcox@hrbd.com.au
07 3890 2066
www.hrbd.com.au