Supermarket chain Aldi has launched allyship training for more than 800 of its UK-based managers, to ensure that its 40,000 members of staff feel respected and included in the workplace.
The aim was to empower and encourage managers to better support, collaborate with and advocate for employees from minority groups, as well as creating a more inclusive workplace across its stores, warehouses and offices. The training covers topics such as raising awareness of what allyship is and its benefits, how to adopt allyship behaviours, and how to productively challenge others.
This followed the launch of the supermarket’s allyship guide earlier this year, which was introduced as part of its wider strategy to embrace diversity and inclusion, which focuses on ensuring staff have a respectful, supportive and representative place in which to work. The guide offers information on how employees can be an ally to people who have experienced barriers, such as those from different religions or racial and ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ identities and those living with a disability.
Aldi also partnered with Diversifying Group last year to deliver webinars on the subject, and is set to roll out more over the next few months.
Richard Shuttleworth, diversity and inclusion director at Aldi UK, said: “We’re always looking for ways to better support our colleagues, and providing training for our managers is a significant step we can take to assist them and their teams in becoming allies. Fostering a positive work environment for all our staff is about everyday actions, and implementing this training is just another of the many ways we are committed to helping achieve that.”
Last month, Aldi announced that as of 1 July, it will raise pay for store assistants to £11.40 per hour nationally, and £12.85 per hour within the M25. This will benefit more than 28,000 employees, out of a total of 40,000 in the UK.