Thursday 30th November, 2006
ASDA SAYS A £10 MILLION FESTIVE THANK YOU TO COLLEAGUES
ASDA is getting into the festive spirit and investing £10 million in a seasonal ‘thank you’ package for every one of its 158,000 colleagues working in its 313 stores and 24 depots across the UK.
As the supermarket gears up for its busiest trading weeks of the year, the move is designed to thank colleagues for their hard work and support throughout the year which has seen ASDA welcome more than a million new customers through its doors, open more than 30 new stores around the UK and take more than 7,000 new colleagues on board.
The supermarket is investing in giving every colleague, including the supermarket’s Seasonal Squad workers – a 10,000-strong group of permanent temps who work for the retailer for ten weeks each year during the holiday seasons – a £20 Christmas gift card to spend in its stores, £5 towards a Christmas party and a free festive meal.
Colleagues will also get a whopping 20 per cent discount – double their normal 10 per cent saving – off a whole host of products in a special discount bonanza as part of its seasonal ‘thank you’*.
Included in this ASDA Christmas savings spree are traditional top-sellers such as beer, wine and spirits, gifts, toys, jewellery, fragrances and George clothing.
All permanent colleagues will also be given an extra day’s paid holiday to either take before Christmas to help them get their Christmas shopping done or to give them the chance to put their feet up once the festivities are over.
David Smith, ASDA’s people director said: “Nobody does more to reward the hard work of its colleagues than ASDA – it’s part of what makes us special, and that’s not only at Christmas.
“We’ll be saving our colleagues millions of pounds off their Christmas shopping lists by doubling their normal discount and even giving them an extra day’s paid holiday to help get their shopping done.
"If that’s not a Christmas cracker I don't know what is!”
Notes for Editors
* Colleagues with less than 12 weeks’ service, are eligible for a 10 per cent saving on selected products.
ASDA PEOPLE MAKING THE DIFFERENCE
At ASDA, it’s people that make the difference. Every one of the store’s 150,000 colleagues play a part in making the business a success and over 93,000 of them own a stake in the business through one of the UK's biggest share ownership schemes.
The workforce represents all ages, genders and ethnic groups and our people policies reflect that. A range of award-winning flexible working packages allow colleagues to achieve a balance between their family, learning and religious commitments. Carefully selected healthcare, legal and financial partners deliver benefits that offer real peace of mind whilst links with cinemas, holiday companies and UK day-trip destinations ensure colleagues and their families can share in our sense of fun.
Examples of Family Friendly Working include:
- Child care leave - available for parents to stop work for a short period during the summer holidays, returning later with continuous service and maintained benefits
- Shift swapping schemes - available for colleagues needing to be absent from work for specific family or domestic reasons
- School starter scheme - a unique scheme that allows parents to take a half day holiday on their child's first day at school
- Emergency family leave - Reasonable time off to deal with family emergencies which may arise.
- Grandparents’ leave - On the birth of a grandchild, grandparents are often involved in carer duties. To help with this up to a weeks leave is available
- Job share - To help managers balance home and work life
- Parental leave – parents may stop work for a short period of between one and 4 weeks per year or extended leave of up to 8 weeks during summer holidays
- IVF Leave - In June 2003 ASDA was Britain’s first company to launch paid leave for colleagues undergoing fertility treatment. The new leave packages came after feedback from colleagues who said they wanted to be more open about such treatment and asked ASDA to play a part in relieving the stress that naturally accompanies IVF treatment
Flexible Working for Students, Carers and Career breakers - it's not just parent who need flexibility and ASDA recognises that with the following leave packages such as:
- Career break - Colleagues can take a career break of up to 2 years.
- Store swapping schemes - available for students wishing to work in their study store as well as in their home store.
- There 2 Care leave - Colleagues can take up to 26 weeks leave to care for a sick or elderly relative or friend.
- It’s my Day - Launched to celebrate ASDA’s 40th birthday. Colleagues can take a day’s unpaid holiday to celebrate an event special to them.
