Tesco gives staff paid time to seek safety from domestic abuse
Tesco staff experiencing domestic abuse can now take paid time away from work to arrange practical help. The supermarket has introduced guaranteed Safe Leave for its 300,000 UK colleagues, covering three days or 21 hours.
The time can be used flexibly for court appointments, emergency accommodation, changing locks or sorting out childcare and finances. Tesco says staff will not have to provide formal evidence or recount traumatic experiences to access it.
The policy was developed with the shopworkers’ union Usdaw and guidance from the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse. Managers already receive training on recognising concerns, responding sensitively and pointing colleagues towards support.
Similar workplace protections already exist at BP, Vodafone and some councils, the Guardian reports.
Tesco has not yet published figures showing how many people have used the new leave. Its immediate value is practical: staff facing urgent decisions can make time for them while keeping their pay.
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