As part of our ambition to be a truly inclusive retailer where every single one of our colleagues can fulfil their potential and where all of our customers feel welcome when they shop with us, we take our responsibilities towards our carer colleagues seriously. 

In the past year, we’ve been busy setting up our brand new carer colleague network, WeCare @ Sainsbury’s. This is a group of passionate and dedicated carer colleagues and allies from across the business who provide other carer colleagues with a voice and help to champion their interests. The group will work closely with leadership teams to provide carers a voice in our decision making. 

We’re always keen to give carers the recognition they deserve and we enjoy our annual celebrations for Carers Week in June and Carers Rights Day in November where we invite local charities into our stores and , host networking events for our carers.

We’re one of the few FTSE 100 organisations with a dedicated carers policy and pride ourselves on offering flexibility and a wide array of carer specific support tools to our colleagues. With over 20,000 of our colleagues at Sainsbury’s having caring responsibilities, we recognise the importance of supporting this valuable community.

William Johnson, Customer Service Advisor, Contact Centre 
“My wife April and myself are carers for our son Bradley, who very early on in life we thought he was a little different than other children but not sure why. He has hypersensitivity with hearing (places his hands over his ears if noisy), Very picky with his food and will only eat certain types from certain brands.  He wakes up most nights and insists we stay with him. He has also recently started insisting on having relaxing music playing as well. I’m very lucky to be well supported, my work shifts have a specific tweak in place to allow me to be with my son whilst my wife works.”

Rebecca Lane, General Assistant, Thanet Westwood Cross Superstore

“My son was three years old when he was diagnosed with autism. At the time I was a store manager, and it was a very stressful period as there just weren’t enough hours in the day to attend appointments and complete the piles of paperwork, while working all hours at work. Sainsbury’s was fantastic and gave me the support I needed to initially step down to become a team leader, and later a general assistant, freeing up some important hours to focus on caring for my son. The whole process was really easy and my store colleagues have always been so supportive. I have worked for Sainsbury’s for 25 years and still believe that no other company could offer the flexibility that Sainsbury’s has continued to offer me. Working at such a supportive company means I can get on with caring for my son without any of the added pressures that work could potentially cause.”

Kathryn Lambert, Customer Service Assistant, Eccles Local Store

“I have recently realised that I am a carer for my son – and I say realised as I just see myself as being a mum and looking after my child. He’s 20 years old but was only diagnosed as being autistic last year. I didn’t realise I was classed as a carer until a social worker told me to apply for carer’s allowance when we had a social service care assessment following Jonathan’s official diagnosis. As his carer I need to arrange and take him to his psychologist appointments, GP assessments, while monitoring his medication as he doesn’t leave the house or really his room. I love coming to work at Sainsbury's Eccles for the wonderful customers I see daily and the brilliant colleagues I work with. Being a carer can be lonely, as my husband and daughter both work away during the week. My job gives me something to look forward to each week.”

Martin White, Lead Design Manager, Online Experience Team

“I’ve been a carer since my twin boys were born 13 years ago. Although being a parent is essentially being a carer, our sons have cerebral palsy so they need a lot of care and attention. I’ve been with Sainsbury’s for three years now and, while some of my previous employers found it hard to empathise, there’s a real, genuine understanding here. Because we have such a diverse range of customers and colleagues, everyone’s really respectful of different needs outside work and helps however they can. That support and flexibility makes such a difference to our family. My role means I can work from home on occasion if I need to go to the boys’ appointments at school or hospital. Recently, one of my sons needed a major operation and everyone was really accommodating and understanding, particularly my line manager Charlotte and my immediate colleagues. By nature, Sainsbury’s is a very caring employer and that’s really reflected in everything they do to support Carers Week and colleague carers.”

Lyn Worrall, Sustainability Project Manager, Daventry Depot 
“I’ve been a carer to my son Jago for seven years. When Jago was seventeen months old, he had a near-drowning accident which left him with a devastating brain injury. We spent a year in hospital and rehab and finally came home in April 2013. Our lives were changed forever, Jago is now 8 years old and a very different boy, he is in a wheelchair with no mobility and needs full-time care, 24/7. I have a team of 6 carers who assist me in looking after him around my working commitments and caring for my other children. I manage their payroll, holiday and scheduling and this can be quite demanding. It has been a very difficult journey for us all and to be honest I never thought we could return to any kind of normality. I joined Sainsbury’s three years ago and it has provided a much needed return to normality.”