How are supermarkets protecting and supporting their staff during the coronavirus crisis?

Tesco

Have vulnerable staff been sent home? Are they being paid?

Yes, Tesco has advised all 3,000 of its vulnerable staff to self-isolate at home for 12 weeks in line with current guidance, and is paying them in full when they do so. 

What’s the policy around sick leave and pay for staff who are self-isolating?

Tesco staff who are in isolation are receiving full pay from their first day of absence.

Have shop floor staff been given a pay increase or bonus in recent weeks?

As a “thank you for going above and beyond”, Tesco announced a 10% bonus for staff. 

Has personal protective equipment been given to store staff?

For employees who want to wear them, gloves and face masks will be made available “as quickly as possible” due to supply constraints around these items. Tesco is also in the process of introducing protective screens at checkouts and installing hand sanitiser stations.

Have any new measures to support staff during this time been implemented?

To support store teams, Tesco has appointed 12,500 new staff members and is recruiting an additional 20,000 temporary colleagues. It’s also looking for 8,000 new delivery drivers. 

Asda

Have vulnerable staff been sent home? Are they being paid?

Yes, Asda has sent home all vulnerable staff, as well as the carers of extremely vulnerable people, and is paying them in full for 12 weeks. 

What’s the policy around sick leave and pay for staff who are self-isolating?

Asda has asked employees who exhibit symptoms to stay at home and is paying them in full for the duration of the illness. 

Have shop floor staff been given a pay increase or bonus in recent weeks?

As a thank you for their hard work, Asda shop floor staff will be receiving an extra week’s pay in June.

Has personal protective equipment been given to store staff?

Gloves and hand sanitiser have been supplied to shop floor staff, and it’s also in the process of installing protective screens at checkouts. 

Have any new measures to support staff during this time been implemented?

To help lift the burden on staff, Asda is working with 20 companies in sectors facing a loss of business to hire 5,000 new recruits.

Iceland

Have vulnerable staff been sent home? Are they being paid?

Yes, Iceland has advised all vulnerable staff to self-isolate at home for 12 weeks in line with current guidance, and is paying them in full when they do so. This applies to all colleagues who have worked at Iceland for longer than one month. 

Iceland has also offered those living with extremely vulnerable family members two weeks’ leave on full pay while it installs further protection measures in stores like shield screens. 

What’s the policy around sick leave and pay for staff who are self-isolating?

Iceland is paying staff who are self-isolating sick pay (which is equivalent to full pay) for two weeks as standard, but the length of time increases depending on the individual staff member’s length of service. It has also extended eligibility for company sick pay (two weeks’ full pay) to include colleagues with one to 12 months’ service.  

Have shop floor staff been given a pay increase or bonus in recent weeks?

Iceland has invested over £8m to increase pay rates for frontline staff from 1 April.

Has personal protective equipment been given to store staff?

All Iceland stores have been supplied with hand sanitiser and gloves, and all stores will also have face masks by the end of this week. Iceland is also fitting Perspex screens at checkouts for all of its stores. 

Have any new measures to support staff during this time been implemented?

On top of recruiting more than 3,000 new colleagues to support our existing staff during this time, Iceland has made contributions to the social fund of each store which it “hopes they will be able to enjoy when life returns to some sort of normality”.

Iceland has also upped communication with staff to  “emphasise the importance and value of the work they do”, and ”the critical role they have to play in continuing to feed the nation” while also keeping them up to date with the practical measures it is taking to ensure their health and safety.

Sainsbury’s

Have vulnerable staff been sent home? Are they being paid?

Yes, Sainsbury’s is sending home all vulnerable staff, and those who care for vulnerable people, for 12 weeks with full pay.

What’s the policy around sick leave and pay for staff who are self-isolating?

If Sainsbury’s staff need to self-isolate they will receive full pay. 

Have shop floor staff been given a pay increase or bonus in recent weeks?

To recognise ”their dedication and extraordinary commitment” Sainsbury’s is giving colleagues a bonus payment of 10% of the hours they have worked between March 8 and April 1, which will be awarded in May.

The bonus will go to workers across both Sainsbury’s and Argos, including Sainsbury’s transport and warehouse teams, Argos distribution and all retail contact centres.

Has personal protective equipment been given to store staff? 

Masks, hand sanitiser and gloves are being made available as quickly as possible. 

Have any new measures to support staff during this time been implemented?

Sainsbury’s did not provide information around recruitment or other support measures.  

Morrisons 

Have vulnerable staff been sent home? Are they being paid?

Yes, wherever possible, Morrisons has redeployed vulnerable staff or sent them home for 12 weeks with full pay. 

What’s the policy around sick leave and pay for staff who are self-isolating?

Morrisons staff who are sick with coronavirus will receive sick pay whether or not they would normally be eligible. Employees who are affected either because of self-isolation, or because they’re looking after close family members or the vulnerable in their local community, will be eligible for sick pay, alternative shifts or holiday.

Have shop floor staff been given a pay increase or bonus in recent weeks?

Morrisons is giving their staff the biggest bonus of all the major mults, with all frontline colleagues receiving a 6% bonus on their earnings for the next 12 months, not just the next eight to 12 weeks. The bonus will be about £1,050 for a full-time frontline colleague compared to the £351 that would have been paid last year.

Has personal protective equipment been given to store staff?

Morrisons has installed Perspex screens at till points and has issued hand sanitiser to all stores.

Have any new measures to support staff during this time been implemented?

Morrisons has created a colleague hardship fund, which will be available to staff who are experiencing financial setbacks as a result of coronavirus. To support staff on the ground, Morrisons is employing 2,500 new pickers and drivers to expand home delivery, and around 1,000 people to work in its distribution centres. 

Waitrose

Have vulnerable staff been sent home? Are they being paid?

Waitrose has asked staff with suppressed immune systems and those over 70 to discuss working arrangements with their manager and said it ”will be following any government-led initiatives specifically focused on Partners over 70 years of age”.

What’s the policy around sick leave and pay for staff who are self-isolating?

To date, Waitrose has paid any of its partners who have been asked to self-isolate in full unless they are not showing symptoms and are able to work from home. 

Have shop floor staff been given a pay increase or bonus in recent weeks?

All non-management staff and first level managers will receive £25 for every week they worked through May and June, totalling £200, even if they’re off sick. Waitrose has also upped staff discount, it’s gone from 15% to 25% and it will stay at 20% “once the peak of the pandemic is over”. 

Has personal protective equipment been given to store staff?

Waitrose is providing hand sanitising wipes for staff who don’t have regular access to hand-washing facilities (including delivery drivers and checkout staff). It is also providing visors to all staff who want to wear them. 

Have any new measures to support staff during this time been implemented?

As staff are working longer hours, Waitrose is setting up a support fund to support staff who are facing additional costs as a result of coronavirus, including childcare costs. It’s also offering free meals at work. 

Aldi

Have vulnerable staff been sent home? Are they being paid?

Vulnerable people have been asked to work from home, where possible, and if not existing company sick pay policy applies. Those who are extremely vulnerable will be paid for 12 weeks’ isolation unless they can work from home.

What’s the policy around sick leave and pay for staff who are self-isolating? 

Employees taking time off due to being ill with coronavirus will be compensated in line with Aldi’s existing company sick pay policy which it says “exceeds statutory requirements and is in line with those offered by other retailers”.

Have shop floor staff been given a pay increase or bonus in recent weeks?

As a thank you for “working tirelessly throughout this extremely busy time”, all Aldi store and distribution staff will be given a 10% bonus on hours worked from 9 March until the end of April.

Has personal protective equipment been given to store staff?

Aldi is installing Perspex screens at more than 7,000 till points but has not provided gloves and masks or told staff they must wear them, but will allow them to do so if they choose to.

Have any new measures to support staff during this time been implemented?

Aldi is boosting its workforce with 9,000 new recruits. The posts consist of 5,000 fixed-term new temporary jobs in stores and 4,000 permanent positions across the business. 

Co-op

Have vulnerable staff been sent home? Are they being paid?

Yes, Co-op has sent home all vulnerable staff and is paying them in full for 12 weeks.

What’s the policy around sick leave and pay for staff who are self-isolating?

Co-op says it “doesn’t want any colleague to be disadvantaged due to the unprecedented circumstances we’re all faced with” so it will treat all genuine coronavirus-related absences for seven to 14 days as paid leave. This will mean staff who have exhausted their entitlement to the retailer’s enhanced sick pay can stay home to recover and still be paid. 

Have shop floor staff been given a pay increase or bonus in recent weeks?

Co-op is rewarding its staff with a bonus, money to spend and extra time off, which is worth a combined £10m to 56,000 people. These benefits will go to all frontline colleagues working in Co-op funeral homes, depots or stores and will apply whether they’ve been at home sick, self-isolating or in work.

Has personal protective equipment been given to store staff?

Co-op recently invested £3m in installing new protective equipment in stores including Perspex checkout screens, hand sanitiser and gloves. It has also built in extra time to shifts to allow frequent breaks for hand washing.

Have any new measures to support staff during this time been implemented?

To ease the pressure on its staff, Co-op advertised 5,000 temporary roles across its store network, which it filled in less than a week. 

M&S

Have vulnerable staff been sent home? Are they being paid?

Yes, any M&S worker who is pregnant, over 70 or has a condition included on the government’s list is currently on leave for 12 weeks on full pay. M&S says it has also made adjustments for its colleagues who have an underlying condition not on the specific list issued by the government, and is making efforts to support all requests for support and flexibility.

What’s the policy around sick leave and pay for staff who are self-isolating?

M&S says it will fully support any staff member who needs to self-isolate for seven to 14 days and they can do so on full pay.

Have shop floor staff been given a pay increase or bonus in recent weeks?

M&S is giving store and supply chain staff a 15% pay bonus in recognition of the added pressure they are under during the coronavirus pandemic.

Has personal protective equipment been given to store staff?

Face shields, hand sanitiser and checkout screens are rolling out across stores. The retailer has also built time into shifts to allow staff to leave every half hour to wash their hands. 

Have any new measures to support staff during this time been implemented?

To give staff extra support, M&S has set up a colleague support fund to help those facing temporary hardship due to coronavirus. 

Lidl

Have vulnerable staff been sent home? Are they being paid?

Yes, Lidl staff that are unable to work due to being at increased risk have been offered 12 weeks’ off with full pay.

What’s the policy around sick leave and pay for staff who are self-isolating?

Lidl says “there are a number of options available” to staff that are self-isolating whereby they will continue to receive full pay, including sick and annual leave. 

Have shop floor staff been given a pay increase or bonus in recent weeks?

Lidl is investing £4m to give everyone in the business a £150 voucher which they can use in conjunction with their staff discount which it hopes will ”help to provide extra support during this challenging time.”

Has personal protective equipment been given to store staff?

Face shields and checkout screens are rolling out across the Lidl store estate. 

Have any new measures to support staff during this time been implemented?

To pick up the extra demand, Lidl has hired 2,500 new recruits. 

 

The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we try to keep this article as up to date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it’s possible that some measures may have changed since publishing.