"HAVE AN OPEN MIND"
Helping colleagues manage antisocial behaviour
Antisocial behaviour is unfortunately something many frontline public transport workers experience in their day-to-day work.
While the vast majority of our customers are well-behaved and appreciative, the actions of a few can put colleagues in challenging, and stressful situations.
“It has become worse since the COVID pandemic – people behave differently now,” says Reka Mills, who works in the ticket office at Highams Park station. “Customers can get upset if there’s a service disruption or something else that is out of their control.”
Customer service ambassador Gary Marshall agrees: “Some customers can become really angry when there’s a delayed or cancelled train. But good de-escalation starts long before the situation becomes difficult. It’s about spotting cues, and then helping customers move along by getting them the information they need.”
Reka and Gary have more than 40 years of experience between them, and as peer trainers, they are now equipping their colleagues with the tools they need to tackle these challenges. They recently completed a four-day training course with an external provider on conflict management and de-escalation.
“The training was intense, but it was interesting listening to other people’s experiences – some worked in social housing, some were from retail, and some in theatre,” says Reka. “We can relate the training to our jobs and make it accessible for our peers.”
Gary says: “The training helps us to empower our colleagues to utilise the skills they already have. So far, I’ve trained station delivery managers and customer experience managers.”
Empathy and early intervention
Gary and Reka train their colleagues on skills such as approaching situations with empathy and managing their reactions.
“We teach people about understanding their own instincts, whether that’s fight, flight or freeze, and how you control and circumnavigate those to deliver the best service you can,” says Gary.
Reka adds: “Early intervention is important and understanding when someone is getting frustrated by looking for signs around their tone and body language. We also need to recognise that it's okay for people to be angry and give them the respect they deserve. Then, hopefully, if we remain calm, they will follow our demeanour.
“Every situation is different. The important things are to have an open mind and a great level of empathy. But colleagues’ safety comes first – we need to recognise the point when it's no longer safe for someone to deal with a situation.”
Coming to a station near you
The training has been well-received by colleagues so far, and Gary and Reka will continue holding sessions until the summer.
“People have told me they are feeling more confident and calmer at dealing with situations,” says Gary. “A lot of our people are in double digits in terms of how long they've worked here, so when they say they've learned something new, it's worth it.”
Reka too finds being a peer trainer fulfilling. “I genuinely enjoy being able to meet other people from our network who I would never meet otherwise. And, if we can just make one person's life a little bit easier through the training, it’s very rewarding.”
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