It helps address situations such as walking in an unfamiliar area late at night, facing aggression on public transport after a night out or using a private taxi alone. If they choose to download the app, colleagues can get 24/7 protection whether commuting for work or going about their personal life. By setting their destination and mode of transport before travelling, the app can automate welfare checks on their mobile to ensure they feel safe and allow them to raise an SOS alert if needed. If they don’t arrive at their destination on time or fail to respond to messages asking if they feel safe, then professionals at the Peoplesafe control room will call to check they’re safe and can raise an alarm directly with local police if necessary. Once they arrive at their destination, the app automatically closes the tracing process.
Tesco does not receive any personal information about any colleague’s use of the app or any alarms raised. And it’s up to colleagues if they want to sign up for it or not. Staff will have the option to allow their location to be tracked using GPS during journeys, which would enable help to be sent to the exact location quickly, in the event of an emergency, and would only be visible to the Peoplesafe control room.
Research from the Overcoming the Employee Safety Gap report by Peoplesafe found that 60% of people feel unsafe travelling on public transport during unsociable hours and 50% of people worry about travelling to and from work alone. Tesco already provides colleagues with an Employee Assistance programme to help look after their physical and mental wellbeing, including 24/7 access to a virtual GP for colleagues and their families.
Rachel Bennett, Security director at Tesco, said: “At Tesco, the safety of our colleagues and their wellbeing is our top priority. Whether they are working in the office, stores or distribution centres, we know colleagues can feel vulnerable in situations where they are travelling alone or during unsociable hours. And in their social lives, we know colleagues sometimes worry if they are witnessing aggression on public transport, walking on their own or find themselves taking a taxi home as the only passenger. We believe colleagues will really value the peace of mind offered by knowing that their journey is being monitored and help is quickly available if they encounter any issues. They deserve to always feel and be safe, at work or in their personal lives.”
Peoplesafe CEO Naz Dossa said: “We want to commend Tesco for going above and beyond to protect their workforce. By prioritising the safety of colleagues both in-store and during their commutes, they’re showing a real commitment to their people and setting a powerful example of putting employee safety first. From working with them, it’s clear they genuinely understand the importance of protecting their workforce and are going above and beyond to ensure their teams feel safe and supported every day. We’re delighted that Tesco is using Peoplesafe’s innovative personal safety technology to provide this crucial layer of protection for their teams.”
The app is intended as an additional safety tool for use outside of work and does not replace any of the extensive measures Tesco already has in place in its stores to protect colleagues while they’re working. These multi-million-pound safety investments include panic buttons, protective screens and bodycams, as well as a state-of-the-art Security Hub in Daventry.
Daniel Adams - Usdaw national officer said: "We continue to engage with Tesco on the steps and measures that it can take to protect workers across the business and welcome this new commitment to invest in additional technology that will undoubtedly help to provide reassurance to employees. All workers deserve to be safe both at work and outside of it. Usdaw's ‘Safe Journeys to Work’ campaign has long highlighted the problems workers can face with travelling to and from their place of employment, particularly in the evening, late at night and early in the morning. It is positive that businesses such as Tesco continue to listen to these concerns and are making tangible investments to improve worker safety."
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
Usdaw’s ‘Safe Journeys to Work’ campaign: https://www.usdaw.org.uk/campaigns/safe-journeys-to-work/
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion