Woolworths is putting in place additional measures to support its employees after more than 3000 acts of violence, threats and abuse were reported over the past 12 months.
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The supermarket and retail giant is investing in CCTV upgrades, two-way radio headsets and virtual reality violence and aggression training, chief executive Brad Banducci told Woolworths' annual general meeting on Thursday.
Woolworths - which has more than 200,000 team members, making it Australia's largest employer - is also working closely with the government to advocate for legislative changes to further protect retail workers, he said.
It has partnered with Sonder to provide an app for team members that allows unlimited access to health professionals and resources for safety and wellbeing support.
"To be honest, it just feels like a dissonance in society," Mr Banducci said, responding to a shareholder question about the aggression.
"We accept that people are under pressure, but respect is fundamental."
Woolworths felt uncomfortable taking this step, Mr Banducci added.
"It's our grand obsession to do everything for our customers - so to ask our customers to treat us with respect is something that has taken us a long time saying, because of the DNA of Woolworths, but unfortunately, we feel compelled at this point."
Mr Banducci also paid tribute to two team members who died in accidents during 2022/23.
A contractor cleaner was killed while operating a cleaning machine in Newcastle in November, and a warehouse employee died in June while engaging in equipment at a Woolworths distribution centre in western Sydney.
"We are fully co-operating with SafeWork NSW to ensure a thorough review is completed with no stone left unturned," Mr Banducci said.
The group on Wednesday reported that sales for the 14 weeks to October 1 increased by 5.3 per cent to $17.2 billion, driven primarily by its Australian supermarkets business.
Big W sales were down 5.5 per cent on the prior year, but there was a modest improvement in the latter part of the quarter.
"While customers continue to be cautious and are trading down within categories, we are seeing solid growth in summer clothing and in opening price point products that offer real value," Mr Banducci said.
The Christmas trading period will be key in determining the success of the half, he said.
Australian Associated Press
