Personalised badges found to humanise retail workers, study finds

Personalised badges worn by frontline retail staff can significantly reduce verbal abuse from customers, according to a study by QUT Business School.

The study was led by Professor Gary Mortimer, Dr Sasha Wang, and in collaboration with Dr María Lucila Osorio Andrade from EGADE Business School, Mexico.

The research found that issuing badges that cost less than 50 cents, with personalised messages such as “I’m a dad”, “I’m a daughter”, or “I’m a local”, humanises staff and shifts customer behaviour.

“From a sociological perspective, we suggest this is deeply entwined within society, driven by the notion of ‘customer sovereignty’ in which customers are perceived to hold all the power as their demand drives production, along with the low-status retail workers are often held in, and the disconnection between service employees and customers,” said Mortimer.

Research shows that 87 per cent of retail and fast food workers faced verbal abuse from customers, with similar data seen in the UK and the US.

Mortimer stated that the study provided practical, evidence-based strategies for “improving the emotional climate of service interactions”.

Wang said frustration and crowding during the Christmas shopping period drove up customer abuse towards retail workers, making it worthwhile to add another layer of protection.

“Under badges are a subtle form of self-disclosure that helps reduce such vulnerability by fostering social exchange and humanness,” said Wang.

“They remind customers that the person serving them is not just an employee, but someone with a life, family, and living within the community, just like them.”

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