Angie Risley: Will the increase in share plan limits boost scheme numbers?

We were pleased with the measures announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement to double the sharesave allowance for employees from this April, because encouraging staff to have a greater share in the success of their employer is always a positive step.

At Sainsbury’s, we know that a major part of the success of the business is down to the 157,000 employees working in our stores, depots and offices.

We believe in giving our employees and their families the opportunity to own a real stake in our business, so their interests are genuinely aligned to the organisation’s performance.

In 2011 we celebrated the 30th anniversary of sharesave, one of our all-employee share plans, and now have more than 40,000 employees holding shares in Sainsbury’s. We know that sharing success leads to a more motivated workforce and long-term loyalty, and now we’re seeing our approach pay off.

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In our recent corporate responsibility update, we reported that more than 21,000 employees took up our sharesave offer this year, a record-breaking figure. And we have committed to increase the number of employees with shares in our business by 25% by 2020 as part of our 20×20 sustainability plan.

It’s all part of our pledge to make Sainsbury’s a great place to work, giving people a stake in the business and allowing them to save.

We work hard to engage our employees with simple, clear messages to promote the opportunities for share ownership, as we know the complexity can be a barrier to some.

Angie Risley is group HR director at Sainsbury’s