In an attempt to create healthier, safer, and more supportive workplaces for retail employees, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) recently organised an Employee Relations (ER) Breakfast in Melbourne. The event saw participation from industry leaders, HR and talent professionals to discuss the pressing topic on holistic wellbeing of the retail workforce. 

The retail sector, with its high-pressure work culture, brings unique challenges for employee wellbeing, with issues like mental health, retail crime, and workplace harassment becoming major concerns for HR professionals. Dr. Laura Good, a researcher at the University of Sydney, shared insights from ANROWS’s 'Just Another Day in Retail' report, emphasizing 10 key recommendations to address sexual harassment. These include industry-wide training, better reporting systems, and customer-facing campaigns to tackle harassment at both the business and industry levels.

Experts like Lindsay Carroll from the National Retail Association, Richard Millington from REST, and Daniel Cavedon from MYER joined the conversation, exploring how the retail industry can step up with stronger policies, better reporting processes, and meaningful support for employees.

How retail employers and HR can support their workforce?

Some of the essential for creating a supportive and safe workplace included: 

Collective efforts to curb workplace harassment

The leaders echoed addressing challenges like sexual harassment and mental health requires a united effort from government, industry leaders, and unions to push for meaningful policy and legislative changes. They emphasised the importance of fostering cultural change within organisations saying, "Retailers must create workplaces where the safety and wellbeing of employees come first."

Build employee trust in reporting processes 

For employees to feel safe speaking up about harassment or other concerns, they need to trust the reporting process, the leaders underlined. Research shows that clear, transparent systems are crucial—ones that are easy to use, keep reports confidential, and genuinely support victims.

Equally important is collecting data from these reports. Understanding how often incidents happen and what they involve helps businesses identify risks and develop better strategies to address them

Proactive and supportive policies and procedures 

The leaders underlined the need for proactive and supportive workplace policies. They urged retail employers and HR professionals to go beyond ticking legal boxes and implement policies that genuinely protect their employees. These policies should be regularly updated, integrated into the company culture, and clearly communicated to everyone. A safe workplace begins with strong, enforceable policies that are consistently upheld.

The need for training 

The leaders emphasise how education and training are vital for preventing sexual harassment and supporting employee wellbeing. They suggested retail employers make training programs more engaging, practical, and proactive, ensuring staff understand policies and know how to handle issues effectively. Retailers must prioritise these efforts, making them a core part of daily operations and investing the time and resources needed to create a truly supportive workplace.

Addressing sexual harassment in retail may seem daunting, but there are clear, actionable steps retailers can take to create safer workplaces. Collaboration, better reporting systems, meaningful data collection, and thorough training are key to making real progress in supporting employee wellbeing and tackling harassment effectively.  

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ARA’s valuable roadmap for fostering safer, more supportive environments makes it clear that by working together, the retail industry can go beyond meeting legal requirements to building a culture that truly values and empowers its employees.