Young hospitality workers face heightened safety risks during festive season, research shows 

As pubs, bars and venues enter their busiest period of the year, concerns are growing for the safety and wellbeing of young hospitality workers, many of whom face increased risk of harassment during Christmas shifts. 

Most late-night seasonal staff are under 25, including students, apprentices and people in their first jobs. While many take on extra shifts during December, research suggests they are among the workers most exposed to inappropriate behaviour. 

A survey by Unite found that nearly half of hospitality workers have experienced sexual harassment and most have witnessed it happening to others. Office for National Statistics data shows that 16 to 24-year-olds face the highest levels of harassment in public and work-related settings. A separate 2024 study from Sheffield Hallam University found that people in low-paid or precarious work are far more likely to face sexual harassment, placing many part-time hospitality workers at higher risk. 

Shane Mann, co-founder of SaferSpace, says that December is “when everything ramps up”. He adds:

“You’ve got huge groups out for the first time all year, a lot of alcohol and very young staff, including apprentices, trying to stay professional. They don’t want to lose shifts, and they don’t want to be seen as difficult, so they put up with behaviour that really isn’t OK. 

“It’s horrible to watch young people talk themselves out of their own discomfort.” 

The impact is not limited to staff, Mann says:

“Revellers can get caught up in the night and not realise until the morning that something felt wrong. You get that sinking feeling the next day, but you don’t want to kick off or embarrass yourself, so people just keep quiet.”

Experts say these pressures sit squarely within workplace wellbeing. Environments where young workers feel unsafe, unsure how to raise concerns or unsupported by managers can damage morale, increase stress and undermine psychological safety, all core parts of a healthy workplace culture. 

Many young hospitality workers are on temporary or zero-hours contracts, which can make it harder to speak up without fear of losing income. Questionable behaviours, such as standing too close, inappropriate comments and unwanted physical contact, can accumulate during busy shifts, often going unchallenged. 

The Worker Protection Act places a legal duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent harassment, not only respond to it. But with stretched teams and high customer demand, early warning signs can be easy to miss. 

Mann says the first step is not always a formal complaint. 

“A lot of young people aren’t ready for that. They just want somewhere private to ask, ‘Was that normal?’ or ‘Should I be worried?’ If they don’t have that outlet, nothing gets reported and nothing gets fixed. That’s why we built SaferSpace Lite.” 

Drinks United – a coalition including Diageo, Bacardi and Pernod Ricard, is the first organisation to bring SaferSpace Lite into its operations. Research in drinks manufacturing shows high levels of harassment: more than 70 per cent of women in the whisky industry and 37 per cent in wine have experienced it at work. 

Mann added:

“Lite is an anonymous chat that gives someone straight answers about what they experienced, without pushing them into a formal route. And employers get early warning signs, anonymous insight into what staff are dealing with and a way to spot brewing problems before they turn into resignations, litigation or even headlines. 

In industries like hospitality, where a huge number of workers and revellers are under 25, SaferSpace Lite could make a real and positive difference.” 

For the youngest staff working through the festive season, creating safer workplaces is not only a matter of compliance but also central to wellbeing, satisfaction and retention. A positive workplace culture depends on environments where workers feel respected, supported and protected, especially during the busiest nights of the year.