Employees receive a one-off cash payment of £15 or £20 at 15 and 20 years’ service, respectively, on which Asda pays the tax and national insurance.
Alan Robertson, recognition team leader at Asda, says: “We are reviewing that because £15 and £20 payments are not particularly relevant in today’s economy. It is still seen as a celebratory gesture.”
The value of long-service awards increases significantly after 25 years’ service, when staff receive £300 in cash; an extra week’s holiday to be taken in that year; an invitation to the Big Asda Anniversary, an annual event arranged for long-serving staff; and a special gift.
These three awards are repeated at every five-year milestone from 25 years, plus a bouquet of flowers.
The 2012 Big Asda Anniversary was held at Doncaster Racecourse in July. Almost 1,300 staff were invited to a three-course meal, with Asda’s executive board and senior directors hosting tables.
The number of Asda employees celebrating long-service milestones has increased dramatically. Robertson says: “We will invest around £10 million a year in our long-service package over the next five years. We invited 1,300 people to the Big Asda Anniversary this year. We expect that to be up to 1,600 next year and then to peak at 2,000 the year after.”
Asda’s longest-serving employee works in Northern Ireland and has been with the company for 51 years.
