Addressing the Surge in Workplace Violence Claims: New VR Training Solution for Managing Aggression
A recent report from Safe Work Australia reveals a striking 56% increase in workers’ compensation claims linked to workplace violence over the last five years. The challenge extends beyond physical aggression, with iCare research indicating that even low-level behaviours like incivility can be just as impactful on worker mental health, safety, and workplace morale.
Proactive Risk Management: A Legal Obligation
Businesses have an obligation to proactively identify these risks and implement measures to manage them effectively. By doing so, they protect not only their employees’ wellbeing but also the organisation’s overall health and safety and compliance. Since the introduction of psychosocial risk regulations last year, state-based health and safety regulators have significantly increased their focus on compliance, especially concerning psychosocial hazards like aggression and violence. Regulators are making it clear that businesses must take proactive steps to identify and manage these risks effectively.
This surge highlights a critical need for businesses to address all forms of negative behaviour, not just overt violence. Misbehaviours such as rudeness, intimidation, or subtle disrespect can accumulate, creating a hostile work environment that undermines psychological safety, heightens stress, drives turnover—and exposes the business to litigation if left unaddressed.
The Challenge for Customer-Facing Businesses
Customer-facing industries, in particular, are grappling with increasing stress among staff due to higher levels of incivility and aggression from customers. This has led to high turnover rates as employees face mental health strains exacerbated by frequent encounters with verbally or physically abusive customers. Combined with reduced greater regulatory focus, and the risk of fines for inadequate training, many businesses struggle to manage these risks effectively.
While current training options, like standard eLearning modules or costly face-to-face sessions, provide foundational knowledge, they often fall short in preparing staff for real-world interactions. eLearning can lack the engagement needed to build confidence, while face-to-face training can be difficult to scale across locations. More practical, immersive training for identifying and de-escalating aggressive behaviours is crucial. It enables employees to practice handling challenging situations in a realistic, controlled environment, building the skills and confidence they need to respond effectively when faced with aggressive customers.
Addressing the Training Gap: Virtual Reality Solutions
While working with our clients on complying with these notices, Risk Collective’s Principal Consultant, Amy Towers, identified a gap in the training market for accessible, engaging solutions that could be quickly rolled out to teams nationwide. To bridge this gap, Amy approached Angus Stevens, CEO of Start Beyond, Australia’s leading VR and AR immersive learning studio, and together they partnered to create Minaca VR: Australia’s first off-the-shelf Virtual Reality training program on "Managing Incivility, Negativity, & Customer Aggression."
MINACA VR: A Practical, Immersive Solution
Delivered via VR and tablet, Minaca VR is a self-contained, cost-effective training tool that gives frontline workers the foundational skills to handle aggressive customers confidently. The program immerses users in realistic, customer-facing scenarios—whether it’s a customer questioning their competence, engaging in verbal aggression, or displaying physically threatening behaviour. Designed in a slice-of-life, documentary style, the modules cover typical environments such as:
Hospitality: Serving from behind a shop counter
Retail: In-store on the floor
Health & Aged Care: Reception
Through interactive features, users can try different responses and de-escalation techniques, building confidence without physical or emotional risk.
Training as a comprehensive approach
While training is a vital element in managing aggression and violence, businesses must take a holistic approach to address these risks. This includes consulting with staff, identifying specific hazards, and implementing a full suite of preventative measures. Comprehensive solutions like Minaca VR provide a powerful training option that can support organisations in equipping their teams with the skills needed to handle challenging situations confidently and effectively.
The Impact of Minaca VR
Minaca VR delivers impactful, consistent training that:
Engages and builds confidence through immersive, real-world scenarios
Accelerates speed to proficiency by placing users in realistic, challenging situations
Creates knowledge that sticks, enhancing recall and application on the job
By investing in Minaca VR, organisations can meet regulatory requirements, reduce the psychological impact of poor customer behaviour, and empower frontline workers to handle potentially dangerous situations with confidence and skill.
To learn more about MINACA VR -
Download the product information and request a demo to see how this immersive training solution can fit into your workplace WHS strategy. Request a demo to see how this immersive training solution can fit into your workplace WHS strategy.