"Talk to Me Nice or Don't Talk to Me Twice": Exploring the Connection Between the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Negative Treatment of Service Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the lack of regard that the general public has for service workers. The author worked in the service industry at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced a shift in the way customers treated service workers. In addition to this personal experience, the author reviewed news articles, social-media threads, and legal articles to determine whether this was an isolated experience or a widespread problem. It turned out to be the latter. The mistreatment included things such as verbal assault but also including more severe treatment such as physical attacks over minor issues.This article highlights the dangers of allowing customers and clients to mistreat service workers. It also gives an overview of what employers and government entities at the state and federal level can do to deter this type of treatment toward service workers. Additionally, the author discusses how service workers have power, through unions, to improve these work conditions for themselves and hold employers accountable for its customers’ action