Anti-social conduct plagues firms

Half of UK small business owners have fallen prey to abusive and threatening behaviour, new research reveals.

The report from insurance firm Zurich said 54% of entrepreneurs had experienced use of bad language, general intimidation or acts of violence while at work or on company business.

Based on total figures for the number of UK small businesses, Zurich said up to 2.3 million firms could be affected by anti-social behaviour.

One in ten respondents claimed customers were the worst offenders, while 5% said children were the biggest perpetrators.

Incidents of graffiti were highest in London where 2 in 10 businesses had been targeted. Almost a fifth of the capital's small business owners had also experienced racism and a tenth faced physical assault.

In addition, racist abuse was a problem for a tenth of West Midlands-based businesses, while for companies in Scotland sexism occurred more than anywhere in the UK.

Zurich's David Nichols said: "Anti-social behaviour takes many forms and perpetrators of this behaviour – be they individuals within a business or the public at large pose a real threat to small businesses.

"Malicious damage cover for instance can protect a business against costly repairs for often-repeated acts of vandalism. However it's also important that businesses understand the potential impact of any litigation brought against them by employees subjected to any such behaviour.

"Certain business or occupation types can be particularly vulnerable here – the pub and club sector for example, however, ensuring a high level of staff training in coping with such incidents can mitigate this risk significantly."