Scottish Water proudly supports the ICS's Service With Respect Campaign

“We believe that everyone has a role to play in creating a respectful and supportive environment. Customers can help by treating our staff with kindness and understanding, especially during challenging times”

Joanne Kay
Waste Water Operations General Manager, Scottish Water

At Scottish Water, we are committed to providing exceptional service to our customers while ensuring the safety and well-being of our dedicated customer-facing staff. As part of this commitment, we are proud to support the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) 'Service with Respect' campaign, which aims to address the growing issue of abuse against public-facing workers.

The 'Service with Respect' campaign was launched by the ICS in response to a concerning rise in hostility and unacceptable behaviour towards customer service staff. Despite tougher sentencing laws introduced in July 2022 to protect public service workers, a recent ICS survey found that 36% of workers still faced hostility in the last six months, with only 44% reporting the incidents. This trend is unfortunately reflected within Scottish Water, where our customer-facing staff have also faced similar challenges.

 In light of these findings, we are launching an awareness campaign to remind our staff and customers that Scottish Water will not tolerate abuse towards our employees. We are committed to supporting anyone who has experienced unacceptable behaviour from a customer and encourage everyone to report any incidents. Our campaign will coincide with the ICS' National Customer Service Week, which runs from October 7th to 11th.

Our customer-facing staff are the backbone of our organisation, working tirelessly to ensure that our customers receive the highest level of service. They are often the first point of contact for customers and play a crucial role in maintaining the trust and confidence that the public has in Scottish Water. It is essential that we create a safe and respectful working environment for them, where they can perform their duties without fear of abuse or hostility.

The 'Service with Respect' campaign is not just about raising awareness; it is about taking concrete actions to protect our staff. We have implemented several measures to support our employees, including providing training on how to handle difficult situations, offering counselling services, and ensuring that incidents of abuse are promptly reported and addressed.

Scottish Water’s Waste Water Operations General Manager Joanne Kay said: “We believe that everyone has a role to play in creating a respectful and supportive environment. Customers can help by treating our staff with kindness and understanding, especially during challenging times. Our employees, on the other hand, are encouraged to report any incidents of abuse and to support their colleagues who may have been affected.

“As we launch this campaign, I believe the points raised by Jo Causon, CEO of the ICS, in a recent BBC interview, about the importance of respect and tackling unacceptable behaviour towards customer service staff, really resonates with Scottish Water, and we are committed to upholding these values in our daily operations."

Scottish Water is proud to support the ICS 'Service with Respect' campaign. We stand by our front-line staff and are dedicated to creating a safe and respectful working environment for them. We encourage everyone to join us in this important initiative and to show their support for our employees who work tirelessly to serve the people of Scotland.

Together, we can make a difference and ensure that our front-line staff are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.