Refuse Abuse: When Doing Your Job Shouldn't Come With Grief

Over the years, I’ve had a few moments at work that have stayed with me, not because they were dramatic, but because they were uncomfortable.

One that still sticks is a customer kicking off after I refused to continue working for them without payment upfront. They’d been consistently slow to pay, and I’d finally had to draw a line. The reaction caught me off guard and I remember being very aware that I was alone in the office, and that the situation felt unpredictable, nothing actually happened but the feeling was enough.

I’ve seen it elsewhere too.A young shop worker refusing alcohol to someone without ID, only to be sworn at and abused for doing exactly what they’re supposed to do.A GP receptionist on the receiving end of someone’s frustration about appointment availability, calmly but firmly asking them to leave and come back when they’d cooled down, or risk being banned.

Every time, the same thing: tension in the room, everyone uncomfortable, and someone just trying to do their job becoming the target for something that isn’t really their fault.

That’s why it feels sad that we’re now at a point where we have to put signs up reminding people that abuse at work isn’t acceptable.

Recently, we’ve been producing signs and vehicle stickers for SUEZ as part of their WE REFUSE ABUSE campaign. On the face of it, it’s straightforward work: design, print, apply but the message behind it matters.

These aren’t abstract roles, they’re people…turning up early, working long shifts, dealing with all weathers, traffic and tight schedules to do a job we all rely on every single day.

Waste and recycling crews don’t have it easy. My dad worked in waste collection years ago, and I remember the team spirit he talked about; crew members looking out for each other and getting on with a tough job. Back then, it was mostly black bags in city streets, with real risks: broken glass, needles, worries about HIV and other infectious diseases from carelessly discarded waste.

These days, things should be easier; waste is segregated and most areas use wheelie bins so, some of those old risks are reduced. But being shouted at, threatened, or abused by members of the public should never be part of the job description.

People just want to get through their working day safely and go home and that shouldn’t be a big ask.

If a sign on a vehicle, or a sticker on a depot wall, makes even one person pause and think before lashing out, then it’s worth doing. Not because it should have to exist, but because people shouldn’t have to put up with that kind of hassle at work.

We shouldn’t need reminders like this. But while we do, I’m glad to be involved in work that backs the people quietly getting on with theirs.