At a glance:
- Holiday pressure amplifies existing risk, it doesn’t create new risk. More customers, longer queues and tighter timeframes turn manageable pressures into flashpoints.
- Customer aggression is common, and support is patchy. 65% of frontline workers experience customer aggression, 24% at least weekly, yet 35% receive no support at all.
- Burnout is predictable, and preventable. Simple, consistent steps including genuine breaks, flexible rostering and regular check-ins, protect frontline teams through peak periods.
- Safety and profit move together. Teams that feel safe and supported turn over less, take fewer sick days and perform better under pressure.
The holiday season is meant to be a time of celebration. But for many frontline teams, it can also bring stress, pressure, and worry.
Stores are busier, queues are longer, and staff are asked to do more in less time. For young or inexperienced employees, these intense periods can shape how safe and supported they feel at work — sometimes for months or even years after.
It’s a lot to carry for employees, managers, and leaders alike. But with preparation, awareness, and compassion, organisations can navigate these busy months with care and confidence.
In a Sonder webinar, Julia Bageski sat down with Michelle Ryan, National Loss Prevention Manager at Best & Less, and Jake Patane, National Training & Development Leader at Yo-Chi. Together, they explored what frontline safety looks like during peak season and shared practical steps for leaders to protect their teams and themselves. Watch the full recording here, or catch up on the highlights below.
Meet the experts
Michelle Ryan, National Loss Prevention Manager, Best&Less.
National Loss Prevention Manager at Best&Less, with more than 20 years of experience in retail and logistics. Michelle specialises in risk management, asset protection, and keeping frontline teams safe while supporting strong business performance.
Jake Patane, National Training and Development, Yo-Chi.
National training and development expert at Yo-Chi, overseeing onboarding, team development, and employee wellbeing. Jake focuses on building strong communication, supportive team cultures, and practical training that helps frontline teams perform at their best.
The “holiday amplification” effect
Holiday periods rarely introduce completely new risks. What they do is amplify the ones that already exist, often quickly. Things that might feel manageable during quiet times — a few extra customers, a slightly longer queue — can suddenly feel overwhelming when volume surges.
Coming into the holiday season, everything’s amplified. All the stresses increase, not only for the team, but also for our customers.
National Training and Development, Yo-Chi
More foot traffic, higher stock volumes, faster transactions, and leaner timeframes mean there’s less breathing room for team members. Add in fatigued staff and customers under pressure, and small issues, like a refund or stock issue, can escalate quickly.
However, if psychological safety, clear processes, and confident leaders are already in place, these foundations will carry teams through even the most intense periods.
Quick tip: Take stock of your team’s baseline. Check processes, revisit escalation pathways, and make sure managers feel empowered to act, before the holiday rush begins.
Customer aggression: understanding and preventing it
According to Sonder’s Safety Gap Report, 65% of frontline workers experience aggression, with 24% experiencing it weekly, yet 35% did not receive any support.
Aggression from customers isn’t random. It tends to follow patterns: higher volumes, longer waits, and stress from external pressures like holiday family dynamics and a spike in spending pressure. Yet, many teams aren’t fully supported to handle it.
Customers who normally wouldn’t escalate might snap if they’re having a bad day. Our teams have to navigate that while keeping operations running smoothly.
National Loss Prevention Manager, Best&Less
This is where compassionate leadership makes a meaningful difference. Staff need clear procedures, psychological safety, and the knowledge that their wellbeing is being prioritised, even when a difficult customer is in front of them.
Quick tip: Encourage team members to take a moment after a difficult interaction, check in with genuine care, and ensure external support pathways are available for employees who may be carrying the impact of an aggressive customer.
Burnout: Predictable, preventable, and often overlooked
Burnout doesn’t appear overnight. It creeps up, often when people feel they have no control over their workload or no support when things get difficult. For frontline teams, this can happen fast during peak periods.
We try to raise awareness of burnout signs, so they can hopefully recognise that within themselves as well, and we adjust rosters early. Extra breaks and sending people home when needed can make a huge difference.
National Training and Development, Yo-Chi
Some of the best preventative steps are the ones that are the simplest:
- Actually taking their breaks
- Hydration reminders
- Sufficient sleep
- Flexible scheduling
- Small but regular check-ins
These small actions can help reduce the long-term impact of stress.
They signal that leaders genuinely care, while also supporting the basic human needs that often get pushed aside during busy or high-pressure periods.
Supporting diverse frontline teams
Frontline teams often span a wide mix of ages, experience levels, and life circumstances. That diversity is a strength, but it also means support won’t look the same for everyone.
A 15-year-old in their first job has completely different needs to a 40-year-old going through a divorce.
National Loss Prevention Manager, Best&Less
Compassionate leaders recognise this and build flexibility into how they support their teams.
In practical terms, this might look like:
- Offering text-based check-ins for younger workers
- Offering printouts and phone-call support for older employees
- Providing multilingual resources
- Flexible scheduling to accommodate personal commitments
- Peer support or buddy systems to create safe spaces for sharing concerns
When organisations acknowledge that people cope differently — and design support accordingly — teams are more likely to feel safe, heard, and valued.
This doesn’t just benefit employees. It helps organisations build stronger trust, reduce turnover, and create teams that are better equipped to navigate pressure together.
Safety and profit are intertwined
Sometimes, business leaders feel like safety and profit are separate concerns. The reality is, they’re deeply connected.
When teams don’t feel safe (psychologically or physically), it can lead to higher turnover, increased absenteeism, and even reputational risk. All of these directly affect the bottom line.
Safety and security have merged. Yes, loss happens. But unsafe teams cost more long-term.
National Loss Prevention Manager, Best&Less
Prioritising employee safety and wellbeing is smart business. Safe, supported teams perform better, stay longer, and help organisations thrive.
Preparedness starts months ahead
Effective safety is planned, not reactive. Holiday readiness isn’t just about stocking shelves — it’s about preparing leaders, teams, and processes.
vDevelop leaders before the crisis. In the moment, it’s the store manager who carries the decision.
National Loss Prevention Manager, Best&Less
Practical actions include:
- Reviewing lockdown and safety procedures
- Conducting site and safe-zone checks
- Manager-specific escalation training
- Multilingual staff resources
- Leadership development programs
Proactive planning gives teams the confidence and structure they need, so the holiday rush doesn’t feel overwhelming.
Five guiding principles for leaders before the holiday rush
Across the webinar, five clear leadership principles emerged:
- Awareness before escalation – normalise risk and prepare openly.
- Micro-learning over manuals – reinforce behaviours in short, repeatable moments.
- Diversity requires choice – support must meet different needs.
- Leaders are the multiplier – confident managers strengthen the whole team.
- Care must be continuous – support isn’t just reactive; it’s ongoing.
Frontline managers are the first line of psychological safety. They make real-time decisions, absorb emotional load, and guide teams through challenges. Investing in their capability before a crisis ensures everyone benefits.
“The frontline manager role is one of the hardest jobs there is — operational leader, performance coach, mental health first responder, change agent and compliance officer at once, with less authority and more accountability.”
Sam Young, Humn, speaking in The 2026 manager guide: Core capabilities for psychosocially safe teams
Support that extends beyond the shift
Stress doesn’t end when the workday does. Emotional spillover affects sleep, relationships, and overall wellbeing. Leaders who extend support beyond the workplace reinforce the message that employees are valued as people, not just as workers.
We don’t just care about them while they’re at work. Extending support beyond the shift helps them cope with the emotional load.
National Training and Development, Yo-Chi
Holiday periods will always be demanding. But organisations that prepare early, invest in leaders, and provide flexible, compassionate support create resilient, confident, and safe frontline teams. Safe, supported employees can manage stress, aggression, and operational intensity — to the benefit of both people and the business.
Sonder can help. Our platform provides continuous, personalised support for employees and leaders in hospitality and entertainment before, during, and after peak periods.
- Self help: Sonder offers frontline workers proactive advice and practical tools within the app, from de-escalation tactics to healthy recipes. These resources help teams stay well, prepared and confident.
- Safety: Sonder’s safety features helps prevent incidents of customer aggression by offering discreet safety check-ins. This proactive tool gives workers peace of mind, with 24/7 support if they need it.
- In-person support: Sonder’s network of highly trained responders is on standby, offering in-person support when critical incidents occur. With backgrounds in emergency services, medical fields, and military, responders deliver psychological first aid and critical support when it’s needed most.
To understand how Sonder can support your team, during the holiday season and beyond, request a demo.
FAQs
Holiday periods don’t tend to introduce new risks — they amplify the ones that already exist. Higher foot traffic, larger stock volumes and faster transactions leave less breathing room for teams, so small issues can escalate quickly if the underlying foundations (clear processes, confident leaders, psychological safety) aren’t already in place.
According to Sonder’s Safety Gap Report, 65% of frontline workers experience aggression from customers, with 24% experiencing it at least weekly. Despite this, 35% received no support at all when it happened.
Some of the most effective steps are also the simplest: making sure staff actually take their breaks, staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, offering flexible scheduling, and checking in regularly. Raising awareness of burnout signs early also allows managers to adjust rosters or send someone home before it escalates.
Support needs vary across a workforce — a 15-year-old in their first job has different needs to an experienced employee going through a life change. Practical approaches include text-based check-ins for younger workers, phone or printed support for older employees, multilingual resources, flexible scheduling, and peer support systems.
Yes. When teams don’t feel safe, it tends to show up as higher turnover, increased absenteeism and reputational risk — all of which affect the bottom line directly. Prioritising safety and wellbeing isn’t separate from business performance, it supports it.
