London’s King’s Cross was crowned the worst tube station for staff abuse, with 140 incidences of abuse against its workers. Data requested by WorkForce Software reported that between April 2020 and December 2021, Transport for London (TfL) staff working at London tube stations were victims of 245 abuses per month.
According to figures, transport workers faced 161 verbal assaults, 58 threats and 24 physical assaults per month during the period. The most common cause for assault was fare evasion and revenue dispute, with 2,448 incidences of abuse in the 18-month period.
Steve Tonks, SVP – EMEA at WorkForce Software, shares that this is sadly the reality for frontline, deskless workers in the United Kingdom.
“Sadly, abuse is a daily risk for many frontline workers,” Tonks said. “While TfL will increase fines for fare evasion by 25 per cent, this is unlikely to minimise the incidences of abuse towards staff that are linked to fare evasion and revenue dispute.”
Tonks says that now is the time for organizations to invest in their workforce management programs to prevent incidents of abuse against their employees.
“With the UK currently facing ‘the most difficult economic year of our lifetime,’ now is the time for employers to invest in the safety of their frontline workers,” he says.