Waterloo station staff subjected to abusive taunts like ‘you dumb cow’ and ‘you absolute moron’ are being supported with a new marketing campaign.
South Western Railway will paste eye-catching posters across its network, including the south London station, to deter passengers from mistreating employees.
The graphics show everyday items photoshopped with mean messages to show vile comments can stay with staff after work.
‘You dumb cow’ has been superimposed on a doormat while a shower gel bottle has been edited to say ‘you stupid old fool’.
While verbal attacks might be considered ‘low-level’ compared to more extreme assaults, their consequences can be enduring, the rail operator said.
The campaign is based on consultations with employees, who shared their experiences of abuse.
’Be Kind’ badges are being given out to staff to help spread the message.
Grant Robey, Security Manager for South Western Railway, said: “We hope this campaign will bring the human impact of thoughtless abuse to the front of our customers’ minds and remind them to be kind to our colleagues, even when things go wrong on their journeys.”
There should be a wall of shame where pictures of such people can be seen and shamed.
There is absolutely no excuse to be rude or abusive to any staff anywhere.