We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, where all of our colleagues can fulfil their potential. This includes creating a supportive and enabling environment where everyone can flourish, and where issues affecting our colleagues are talked about openly and with respect.
We know that women face unique challenges in the workplace. Women make up nearly half of the UK workforce, but there are hidden barriers that can limit their ability to engage with and succeed in their work. For example, women are more likely than men to take on invisible and additional caring roles and around 900,000 women have left their jobs because of the impact the menopause can have in the working environment1. As part of our commitment to being an inclusive business, we want to be part of the change we need to see.
Stepping up to support parents and carers
Supporting our colleagues at all stages of their career is a big part 
of our commitment and this includes time away from work to have a family. In 2021, we enhanced our Family Leave policy to increase our maternity and adoption leave to 26 weeks’ pay and paternity leave to four weeks’ pay to support colleagues at this special time in their life. We’ve also updated our pregnancy loss guidance to provide greater support to our colleagues during these difficult times.
We were one of the first FTSE100 companies to include carers in our family support policy as we know that many of our colleagues are balancing caring responsibilities, as well as their job. As research shows that two thirds of UK carers have given up work or reduced their hours to care for a loved one and that almost half have struggled financially, we are committed to helping our colleagues balance their responsibilities at home and at work.
Shining the spotlight on menopause
Menopause is an event that many women experience during their working life and we want to raise awareness, educate and talk openly about it in order to better support our colleagues during this time. Our Colleague Guide to the Menopause was launched on World Menopause Day 2021 and aims to raise awareness of the different ways menopause can affect women in all aspects of their lives, including at work. The health of every colleague is important to us and the menopause can affect our male colleagues too, both in their personal life if they have female partners, mothers or children experiencing it, and professionally by working alongside female colleagues.
We have also signed the Wellbeing of Women Menopause Workplace Pledge, and we commit to:
- Recognising the menopause can be an issue in the workplace and women need support
- Talking openly, positively and respectfully about menopause
- Actively supporting and informing our colleagues affected by menopause
Tackling abuse and discrimination
We are committed to playing our part and creating a safe and inclusive environment for our colleagues. In the UK, almost one in three women aged 16-59 will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. We have developed a guide to domestic abuse to support colleagues and line managers to identify the signs and know what support is available to them.
We take a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination, violence or harassment of any kind and Our Colleague Guide to Discrimination, Bullying, Harassment, Sexual Harassment and Victimisation is available to all our colleagues and addresses how we play our part in everyone is treated fairly.
To further increase awareness our training on inclusion is mandatory for line managers, reaching over 16,000 of our managers and our colleague inclusion training has been completed by over 165,000 of our colleagues.
1https://www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk/campaigns/menopausepledge