Strategies and tactics for customer-facing
staff and their managers
It is often said that since the pandemic, people seem to be ruder, less tolerant, more prone to be demanding, combative, even aggressive, in their dealing with others, particularly when they are dealing with people providing a service, such as in a shop, a clinic, a Council office, or with workers outside the office. The Workplace Aggression Course is part of the
soft skills courses.
Workplace aggression is a cause of significant psychosocial harm, affecting not only the direct victims, but also witnesses and other staff. This three-module course is designed to give staff and their managers an understanding of the seriousness of workplace aggression and equip them with ways to deal with it.
The first module introduces the problem of customer aggression and its consequences for staff well-being. It covers the legal obligations to protect staff from these effects. It assists learners to identify the types of aggression they may encounter, which is an important step in understanding how staff can respond to aggression. It offers some strategies for helping to respond to the signs of developing aggression.
The second module provides further practical steps for dealing with customer aggression, particularly focusing on the learner’s own responses and understanding.
The third module focusses on management responsibilities. It mentions WHS/H&S responsibilities and provides details of appropriate planning and risk assessment, as well as tactics for incident management.
The course provides scenarios to assist learners envisage the sorts of situations they may encounter, so that they can plan ahead how they will respond.
The course does not cover areas that relevant organisations should already have specialized training on, for example, Armed Robbery Awareness and Incident Response, Armed Intruder Response, Active Shooter Response.
“More than 77% of respondents reported experiencing at least one form of workplace violence at least once during their careers.””
ILO 2024 Research Report: ‘Perceptions and Experiences of Workplace Violence and Harassment’
Who is this training for?
The course is suitable for all staff and their managers.
Course outline
- Module 1: Addressing Customer Aggression (For managers and general staff)
- Module 2: De-escalation (For managers and general staff)
- Module 2: Risk management, resources and support (For managers)
You will have 90 days to complete this course.
