Circle K
The Invisible People
Hundreds of thousands of people work in service roles where interacting with customers is a central part of the job. At the same time, many describe a working day in which irritation, disrespectful comments and, in some cases, threats have become part of the job.
To shine a light on this issue, Geelmuyden Kiese and Circle K developed the report The Invisible People. The aim was to highlight how people actually treat service workers and bring the issue into a broader public conversation.
CHALLENGE
Many people working in service roles are used to dealing with difficult customer interactions. The problem is so common that this kind of behaviour is often normalised and rarely discussed outside the industry.
The challenge was therefore to make the issue relatable to the wider public and show that these are not isolated incidents, but a pattern of behaviour affecting a large group of workers every day.
APPROACH
The Invisible People report is based on two nationwide Sifo surveys. One surveyed service workers to explore how often they experience rude behaviour, threats and harassment at work. The other surveyed the general public to examine how people themselves behave towards service workers.
The findings were complemented by interviews with researchers, trade union representatives and industry professionals. Together, these provided a clearer picture of how widespread the problem is and showed that more people than one might think have experienced or witnessed poor treatment of service workers.
The launch was followed by an extensive PR campaign targeting national news media, regional press and trade media.
RESULTS
The report received widespread coverage in Swedish media, including TV4 News, SVT Rapport, Göteborgs-Posten and Sydsvenskan, as well as numerous regional SVT and P4 newsrooms across the country.
In total, the report generated a potential reach of more than 17 million and helped put the treatment of service workers on the national agenda.
The initiative also gained political attention and led to a meeting with Sweden’s Minister for Gender Equality, where the issue was discussed further. The work is now continuing with a follow-up report.
“After more than 20 years working in communications, The Invisible People is one of the projects I am most proud of. Together with Geelmuyden Kiese, we have managed to shine a light on an issue that is close to my heart, while achieving an impact that exceeded our expectations. It has become a real talking point within the service industry, reached far beyond Circle K and, most importantly, helped get more people talking about how we actually treat those who work in service roles.”
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Erika Söderlund, Circle K
