Faithful or traitor?

It’s not just people who have a proclivity for deception…

Every so often there’s a TV series that gets everyone talking. Recently that show was The Traitors.

I must confess, I haven’t actually watched a single episode (shocking I know!). My wife Mandy, on the other hand, was hooked – as it appears, so were millions of others…

The finale of the most recent series of The Traitors, which aired last Friday, was viewed by more than seven million people – making it the most-watched live episode in the show’s history.

If, like me, you’re yet to dive into this cultural phenomenon, here’s the gist (courtesy of Mandy’s impassioned recaps): contestants are thrust into a high-stakes game of treachery as they attempt to unmask the hidden “Traitors” among them – and all whilst vying for a ￡120,000 cash prize.

As a study of human behaviour, I understand the show’s appeal. Much like the early days of Big Brother, this kind of social experiment-style reality TV taps into our innate curiosity about the darker corners of human psychology…

Speaking of which, I recently read a fascinating article on the BBC News website that explored our apparent love affair with deception. It posed an intriguing question: is our moral compass shifting? According to the article, the answer is a resounding “yes”.

The piece draws on research, including a study by Dr. David Shepherd, a criminologist at the University of Portsmouth, which points to a growing tolerance for dishonesty in the UK. It also highlights the findings of The British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey. In 2022, the BSA found that only 53% of respondents thought it was wrong for an unemployed person to take a casual job without declaring it – down from 68% in 2016. Even when the stakes were raised to ￡3,000, the percentage of disapproval fell from 80% to 66% over the same period…

Clearly this growing propensity for dishonesty amongst the public is of great significance to the risk management community. With break-ins, shoplifting and other deceptive consumer behaviours at record levels, I know retailers will not be in the least bit surprised by these findings.

But it’s not just individuals playing fast and loose with the truth – in my experience, data can be equally misleading. Our recent call-out stats are evidence of that…

Over the past few weeks, I’ve attended two service calls after customers phoned to report an apparent issue with their Trellidor shutter or grille. But when digging a little deeper, and the real story emerges…

In both cases, the problems were not related to our products. For example, in one instance the electrician hired by the retailer had wired the shutter incorrectly, causing it to malfunction.

However, without understanding the root cause of the issue, there’s a risk these call-out stats could potentially lead someone to question the reliability of our products.

Verifying data and understanding the context behind it is critical because decisions based on erroneous information can have far-reaching consequences.

This is why we emphasise the importance of experiencing our products up close. Experiences such as the Immersion Zone at Retail Risk – London, a replica store in which actors enact various scenario including armed robberies, ORC attacks and activist sit-ins, gives customers the opportunity to see our shutters and grilles firsthand. To experience them “in action”. It’s a chance to discuss your needs, ask questions and gain a better understanding of our solutions and benefits.

Whether it’s a reality TV show about betrayal or a misleading statistic, we’re all at the mercy of what we choose to believe – or, in some cases, overlook.

But as The Traitors?reminds us, sometimes things aren’t always as they first appear…