Legal analysis: employees who are abused by customers can ask them to apologize, and the law protects everyone's reputation. If both sides are at fault, depending on the seriousness of the case, if there is a dispute between the two sides, resulting in minor injuries or more, it constitutes a crime of intentional injury and needs to be investigated for criminal responsibility according to law. Those who constitute serious injuries may be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years. If the business operator has insulted, slandered, searched, infringed on personal freedom and other acts that infringe on the personal rights and interests of consumers or other victims, causing serious mental damage, the victims may demand compensation for mental damage.

Legal basis: Article 1024 of the Civil Code of People's Republic of China (PRC), the civil subject enjoys the right of reputation. No organization or individual may infringe upon the reputation right of others by insulting or slandering. Reputation is a social evaluation of the moral character, reputation, talent and credit of civil subjects.