Every colleague will have access to mental, physical and financial health and wellbeing support that enable them to make positive and proactive choices to thrive in all aspects of life
Looking after our colleagues
Our colleagues are at the heart of everything we do. Their hard work, dedication and commitment to serving our customers day in, day out enables us to make good food, joyful, accessible, and affordable for everyone, every day. And we know that having happy, healthy, and engaged colleagues is critical to achieving our bold Next Level Sainsbury's ambitions and to the long-term success of our business.
We want all of our colleagues to feel happy, healthy and supported both at work, and at home, which is why we place great emphasis on things that enhance our colleague's wellbeing throughout the employee lifecycle, so they can thrive and be the best they can be. This includes things like creating a healthy, safe, and inclusive working environment, enabling a good work-life balance and providing tools and resources that support mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
We have a dedicated Wellbeing team who are responsible for developing and driving our wellbeing strategy, which is overseen by our Wellbeing Steering Committee (made up of senior business leaders) and Tracey Clements, Operating Board Sponsor for Wellbeing. Our network of Wellbeing Champions helps wellbeing to breathe through the organisation by raising awareness, promoting wellbeing tools, resources and support and listening and signposting colleagues to help should they need it.
We capture feedback from our colleagues through our annual engagement survey, regular ‘temperature check’ surveys and ongoing colleague listening facilitated by members of the Operating Board and Non-Executive Directors. This helps us to understand what is important to our colleagues and to identify how we can continue to support them. The insights also support decision making on key business matters aimed at improving the colleague experience, including the development and measurement of our mental health and wellbeing strategy and the design and development of wellbeing interventions. Examples of these interventions include, targets counselling to support colleagues mental health after a traumatic incident, and targetted awareness raising to improve knowledge of mental health and wellbeing tools, resources and support. After each colleague engagement survey, line managers will discuss the results with their teams and work together to plan and implement actions that will help make Sainsbury’s a truly great place to work. Our local and national 'Make it Better Together' groups also provide an opportunity for colleagues to share how they are feeling, provide feedback and shape action both at business and a local level.
We recognise the impact of not supporting our colleagues in the right way, not only the effect this has on their health and wellbeing but also on reduced productivity, increased absence, and the impact on recruitment and retention. We have a wellbeing dashboard which enables us to monitor risks and target interventions through insights such as; mental health and musculoskeletal related absence trends and colleague engagement scores across the business.
Our commitment
Key Achievements
67%
of colleagues report that our health and wellbeing tools enable them to improve their wellbeing in 2025/26
+2ppts on 2024/25
73%
of colleagues feel their line manager takes a genuine interest in their wellbeing
+2points vs previous year 2024/25
11,437
line managers have completed Mental Health Awareness training (2025/26)
8% of the total workforce
Our approach
We adopt a holistic approach to wellbeing which aims to embed wellbeing into every aspect of the employee experience - a systemic approach that is sustainable and aims to create long term value for our colleagues, supporting their health, safety and wellbeing. This is underpinned by our three wellbeing pillars of Mental, Physical and Financial wellbeing and through which we focus on raising awareness, education, and support, providing tools and resources that enable our colleagues to make positive and proactive choices to thrive in all aspects of life.
From the moment a colleague is thinking about joining us at Sainsbury's to the moment their career journey ends with us, we're committed to supporting them throughout all the important career and life moments in between.
Right from the outset, it’s important to us that individuals feel supported during the recruitment process whether they are an internal or external candidate. Our Sainsburys.jobs website details what it's like to work at Sainsbury's and our commitment to colleague wellbeing. We provide training and guidance to line managers in Inclusive Recruitment practices, which supports them to understand biases, write inclusive job descriptions, best practice for CV sifting and how to provide support at interview including the importance of checking in with candidates to understand whether they require any adjustments due to a disability, long-term health or mental health condition.
When colleagues join us (or change their role), they are asked to complete a Health Questionnaire so we can understand if they have a long-term health condition or disability (including mental health) that may require workplace adjustment(s) so we can support them to be the best they can be, right from the outset. In addition, colleagues will also receive a colleague benefits booklet detailing the range of benefits they receive including the mental health and wellbeing support available from day one.
We believe that having opportunities to grow, develop and progress plays a key role in colleague mental health and wellbeing. Our wide variety progressive development programmes, coaching, skill boosts and career development opportunities combine to provide all colleagues with a chance to achieve their personal and career goals.
We offer a diverse range of development solutions to support our colleagues to be the best in role with a broad range of topics that include customer service, store safety, project management, leadership, behavioural development, as well as inclusion and wellbeing. Our mandatory Mental Health Awareness for Managers training equips line managers with the skills to manage stress controls, make workplace adjustments and support their colleagues' mental health and wellbeing.
Our Valued Behaviours, Leadership Performance Expectations and Honest, everyday feedback – what’s working well/not so well, what can be improved, is at the heart of our approach to performance. Line managers are encouraged to have regular 1-2-1s to allow colleagues to discuss their performance and adjustments they may need to balance work-life and help them achieve their goals.
Like the world around us, our organisation is ever changing. We understand the importance of supporting colleagues through changes they are going through both at work and at home. Our dedicated 'Supporting Colleagues through Change' intranet page is home to a suite of information, tools and resources that helps colleagues to understand the change curve, how they may feel during times and changes and provides access to support to help them manage their mental, physical and financial wellbeing during these times.
We want to help our colleagues balance their home and work commitments, understanding that there may be times in life when they need to adapt their working arrangements to fit in with their personal responsibilities. We have a Flexible Working Policy that allows colleagues to make a flexible working request and a Time Away from Work Policy to support alternative leave options for example, if something happens and our colleagues need some time to sort things out.
We strive for a proactive approach when supporting colleagues' mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, taking steps to help them stay in work and supporting them to rehabilitate/ return after a period of ill health. Our workplace adjustment process supports the provision of reasonable adjustments throughout employment for a range of physical and mental health conditions and neurodiverstiy. Our colleagues and line managers will work in partnership with our Occupational Health provider to resolve any issues in the workplace that might have an adverse effect of a person's health to ensure that their wellbeing at work is maintained as a priority and that they can keep colleagues thriving and continue to progress their careers.
We recognise that the support our colleagues need varies from person to person, so we're committed to having a range of policies and practical help available to support all aspects of their wellbeing. Whether it's supporting them through a bereavement, with caring responsibilities, the journey to parenthood or into retirement we have a wealth of support available.
Being an inclusive business with diverse representation at all levels of our business is important to us. We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer where every single one of our colleagues is treated fairly and with respect. We want our colleagues to fulfil their potential, and our customers feel welcome when they shop with us. We know that feeling included and having a sense of belonging has an impact on wellbeing, and we recognise that having a diverse workforce means that each colleague will have different needs at different times, particularly relating to their mental health and wellbeing. We use data and insights from our DEI and Wellbeing dashboards to understand the challenges our diverse colleague base face and to ensure we provide the best support possible.
Our three wellbeing pillars of mental, physical and financial wellbeing underpin our overall approach to Wellbeing at Sainsbury's. Understanding that our mental, physical and financial wellbeing is interlinked and our workforce has a diverse set of needs, we provide a range of tools, resources and support aligned to each pillar to support colleague wellbeing. In addition, we hold a number of colleague wellbeing campaigns throughout the year to raise awareness of key wellbeing topics which are aimed at reducing stigma and creating a culture of openness towards mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
We work closely with industry experts and our benefit partners such as the Employee Assistance Programme, and Salary Finance to leverage their expertise. Outside of our campaigns, we have a regular drumbeat of communication through our internal social media channels to keep our wellbeing conversations alive. Examples of our campaigns include Mental Health Awareness Week, World Suicide Prevention Day, Financial Wellbeing and Healthy Habits - all of which are supported by our Company-wide network of over 2,000 Wellbeing Champions and designed to be delivered to suit our diverse colleague base.
The scope of our commitment and approach to colleague health and wellbeing refers to all individuals (permanent and temporary) who are employed by the Sainsbury’s group, in our stores, depots and offices throughout the UK and in our head office in Asia, where Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd operates. In addition, we’re committed to keeping our employees, customers, contractors, and visitors safe when on our premises and our Sainsbury’s Code of Conduct for Ethical Trade outlines 12 key principles for suppliers to adhere to, including safe and hygienic working conditions and payment of a fair wage.
Simon Roberts"We're committed to support all our colleagues with access to wellbeing and mental health guidance and support, to enable everyone working at Sainsbury's to make positive and proactive choices to thrive in life. Our absolute commitment is to be a truly inclusive retailer so all our colleagues bring their full selves to work and consistently have access to the support and wellbeing they deserve."
Chief Executive Officer
CCLA UK Mental Health Benchmark
To demonstrate our commitment to colleague's mental health and wellbeing, we measure ourselves against the highest industry recognised standards to identify opportunities for improvement. We improved our position, as a Tier 1 employer in 2025.
Wellbeing Champions
Our Wellbeing Champions are passionate colleagues who have volunteered to support the health and wellbeing of their peers in the workplace. They are advocates and change-makers whose responsibility is to:
- Raise awareness
- Promote Wellbeing tools, resources and support
- Listen and signpost colleagues to help and support
Our network of over 2,000 Wellbeing Champions are instrumental in helping wellbeing messages reach colleagues across the business and helping them to access support. Since their introduction, we've seen a rise of 9ppts in our colleague engagement survey to the question 'the tools and support offered by Sainsbury's enable me to improve my wellbeing'. We meet regularly with our Wellbeing Champions (1.3% of our workforce) to train them on mental health and various wellbeing topics, increase knowledge of benefit providers and provide guidance materials aligned with their responsibilities, to enable them to effectively help and signpost our colleagues to appropriate support.
In 2026, we will be trialling a newly developed learning module to further support the resonsbilities of our Wellbeing Champions.
- Raise awareness
- Promote Wellbeing tools, resources and support
- Listen and signpost colleagues to help and support
Our network of over 2,000 Wellbeing Champions are instrumental in helping wellbeing messages reach colleagues across the business and helping them to access support. Since their introduction, we've seen a rise of 9ppts in our colleague engagement survey to the question 'the tools and support offered by Sainsbury's enable me to improve my wellbeing'. We meet regularly with our Wellbeing Champions (1.3% of our workforce) to train them on mental health and various wellbeing topics, increase knowledge of benefit providers and provide guidance materials aligned with their responsibilities, to enable them to effectively help and signpost our colleagues to appropriate support.
In 2026, we will be trialling a newly developed learning module to further support the resonsbilities of our Wellbeing Champions.
Mental health
We strive to create an environment that is free of stigma, where colleagues can talk openly, reach out for help if they need to and know they are listened to without judgment.
We have a Mental Health policy that outlines our approach to Mental Health and details where colleagues can access support. An adapted version of this policy is also available to our Asia colleagues to ensure it supports the local context and diverse needs of our workforce. We also upskill our Line Managers with mandatory Mental Health Awareness training and provide guidance on Mental Health and Stress at Work to ensure our leaders are equipped to support their colleagues well.
In October 2019, we signed the Time to Change pledge – our commitment to change the way we all think and act about mental health in the workplace. We are also part of a Retail Network that shares best practices and ideas within our industry.
To further support colleagues we collaborated with the Samaritans and six other leading retailers on a ‘Wellbeing in Retail’ guide which is designed to help retail workers look after their own mental health, get advice on how to support others who may be struggling and signpost where to go for help.
Colleagues can access confidential and independent support on a range of matters relating to mental, physical and financial health through our Employee Assistance Programme which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, we include the contact details of a range of mental health services such as Samaritans, Mind and CALMon our intranet so colleagues know where they can access additional support.
Physical wellbeing
The health and safety of our colleagues is really important to us, as such we have clear policies and procedures in place to keep our colleagues and customers safe.
To further support our colleague’s physical wellbeing, we focus on the importance of sleep, exercise and nutrition and taking care of your body, in maintaining good physical health - promoting the impact each of these factors has on mental wellbeing. We have a number of benefits available to colleagues such as the government's Cycle to Work scheme, discounted Gym memberships with Wellhub and health cash plans through our partnership with Simply Health. In addition, colleagues can access a wealth of information via our intranet, with links to the Eatwell Guide and external support services such as NHS Screening and Health Checks, and Smoking and Alcohol cessation support services.
With retail crime rising across the UK, it is more important than ever that we ensure safety is at the heart of our stores. USDAW’s recent survey found that 77% of shopworkers have faced verbal abuse and more than half have been threatened. The British Retail Consortium has reported there are 2,000 incidents of violence and abuse across UK retailers every day. When colleagues tell us they’re worried about their physical safety, we have a responsibility to act understanding the impact this can have on their mental health. In the unfortunate event that our colleagues and managers have been impacted by an incident, we provide tailored support and guidance, taking into account each individual situation and adapting to suit the local context, with an option to access specialist Critical Incident Support through our Employee Assistance Programme where required. We're also proud to be partnering with the police, and other UK leading retailers, to develop a dedicated team to tackle Organised Retail Crime.
Financial wellbeing
Our objective is to have a fair, equitable and competitive total reward package that encourages colleagues to serve and help every customer and provides opportunities for colleagues to share in Sainsbury’s success. For example, colleagues benefit from a 10% colleague discount at Sainsbury's and Argos, which increases to 15% at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday, and for one day at Argos over each payday. We also make free food items available during shifts for store and depot colleagues as an additional measure to help them manage tighter budgets.
Colleagues can also access discounts at hundreds of retailers through our partnership with Reward Gateway, and participate in a pension plan on a contributory basis with company contributions, as well as the opportunity to become shareholders in the company through our all-employee share schemes. Furthermore, we work with our financial wellbeing partner Salary Finance to offer opportunities to Save through salary, Colleague Loans and Pay Advance which allows colleagues to access a portion of their accrued income ahead of their usual payday.
We know that money can have a direct impact on mental health, so to further support our colleague’s financial wellbeing, we're working to increase the financial literacy of our colleagues through education and tools that enable them to effectively manage their money. We host a wealth of information on our intranet pages to help colleagues budget, manage debt and get more for their money through saving. Colleagues can also find links to external charities and organisations who provide support for financial wellbeing such as Money Helper and StepChange.
Sainsbury's has recently announced another above-inflation pay increase for hourly-paid colleagues across Sainsbury's and Argos. From March 2026, hourly pay will rise by 5%. Our colleagues do a brilliant job every day - serving customers, supporting one another and keeping our business moving. This latest increase builds on several years of sustained investment in colleague pay, with hourly rates rising by more than 40% over the last five years.
Objectives
It’s our commitment that ‘every colleague will have access to mental, physical and financial health and wellbeing support that enable them to make positive and proactive choices to thrive in all aspects of life’.
Objective: Review of our end-to-end approach to mental health by end 2025
Progress: In 2025, we took steps to review our end-to-end approach to Mental Health in the workplace such as our policies and processes, and have identified a number of recommendations that aim to further improve our provision and support to colleagues. We continue to monitor how colleagues feel their manager takes a genuine interest in colleague wellbeing to understand how we can help line managers feel equipped to provide appropriate support.
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| Colleague engagement survey | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Colleagues who feel their line manager takes a genuine interest in their wellbeing (%) | 70 | 73 | 71 | 73 |
Objective: Improve awareness of the Wellbeing programmes and initiatives we have in place to support colleague mental health and wellbeing
Progress: We saw an increase of 2ppts year-on-year in our 2025 colleague engagement survey. Throughout the year, we've concentrated on further embedding mental, physical and financial wellbeing support into key aspects of the colleague lifecycle and using our Inclusion and Wellbeing campaigns as an opportunity to raise awareness and talk about the wealth of resources available.
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| Colleague engagement survey | Target | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Colleagues who say the tools and support offered by Sainsbury’s enable them to improve their wellbeing (%) | 75 | 63 | 65 | 68 | 65 | 67 |
Looking ahead: We’ll continue to monitor progress through our colleague engagement survey with a target to reach 75% on the above question. We're working closely with our internal communications teams to increase the promotion of mental, physical and financial wellbeing support. We'll use our dashboard data and insights to explore opportunities to adapt to the local business context and target interventions that are aimed at increasing awareness and wellbeing outcomes.
Children's Mental Health Week
Colleagues from our Parent's Supporting Parent community developed an Children's Mental Health initiative, in support of Place2Be's Children's Mental Health Week.
Aligning to the theme 'This is my place' , this initiative raised awareness of the importance that a sense of belonging, in our friendships, in school and communities has on mental health and wellbeing and encouraged conversation amongst our parent community on the things they do with their children and young people to talk about mental health.
World Mental Health Day | Transport Safety
In support of World Mental Health Day, our Transport Safety and Compliance teams supported the development of an initiative to raising awareness of how our Transport activities; potential risks, accidents, incidents and health emergencies can take a toll on mental health.
This initiative acknowledged that every action taken before a colleague enters one of our vehicles, when behind the wheel and after completing a journey, can be influenced by our frame of mind and in turn impact decision making. The initiative highlighted the importance of prioritising mental health and wellbeing and accessing the wealth of tools, resources, and support available.
Everyday Mental Maintenance | World Mental Health Day
October 2025
Small steps towards resilience
In anticipation of World Mental Health Day, we hosted a fantastic workshop alongside the brilliant people at Self Space, that was jam-packed with helpful information on how we can all better understand our mental health, and take tiny but meaningful steps towards resilience. Here were our highlights:
Mental health is a spectrum
We kicked things off by reframing how we think about mental health—not as something that only matters in a crisis, but as a spectrum we all move along, constantly. Some days we’re thriving, some days we’re just about managing, and that’s okay. Just like physical health, our mental wellbeing shifts depending on what’s going on in our lives.
We were reminded that mental health isn’t static, and it’s not binary. It’s dynamic, personal, and influenced by everything from work pressures to family responsibilities to the news cycle. And recognising where we are on that spectrum is the first step to taking care of ourselves.
Everyday tools for mental maintenance
The heart of the session was all about realistic, doable actions we can take to support our mental health. Here are some of the ones we loved:
Micro-habits & habit stacking
Habit stacking is adding small wellbeing actions to things we already do. Consider taking a few slow breaths while waiting for the kettle to boil, or doing a quick body scan while brushing your teeth. These tiny habits, repeated often, can make a big difference over time.
Grounding techniques
We practised grounding exercises that help bring us back to the present moment—especially useful when stress creeps in. Things like pressing your feet into the floor, rolling your shoulders, or naming five things you can see, hear or feel. These can send safety signals to your nervous system and help you reset.
Managing internal narratives
We shared the stories we tell ourselves - especially the ones that start with “I should…” or “I’m not doing enough.” We encouraged each other to notice and name these thoughts, and gently challenge them. Being kind to ourselves isn’t indulgent—it’s essential.
Control vs influence
One powerful exercise was writing down what’s within our control, what we can influence, and what’s outside of our control. It’s a great way to shift focus away from overwhelm and towards action. These small steps can help restore a sense of agency.
Redefining resilience
We also explored what resilience really means, and what it doesn’t. It’s not about being tough or pushing through no matter what. It’s about awareness and action - noticing when we’re struggling and doing something about it. And that starts with self-compassion.
Resilience is not coping silently. A therapeutic definition of resilience is recognising your state, responding to it, and giving yourself permission to rest, reset, or reach out.
Support at Sainsbury’s
At Sainsbury’s, we’re committed to supporting our colleagues with their mental health, from the Employee Assistance Programme to wellbeing pages and lots of guidance for line managers.
A huge thanks to the team at Self Space and supporting us to creat such a thoughtful, energising and compassionate space.
Uptake: This event was attended by over 100 colleagues.
Value chain initiatives
Our long-term community programme Nourish the Nation and our work with long-standing partner Comic Relief help to address some of the root causes of food poverty, creating safe community spaces to learn how to cook as well as providing financial, employment and mental health advice to those who need it most. Through our Nourish the Nation programme with Comic Relief, we have supported nearly 600 food clubs across the UK, as part of our mission to tackle food poverty.
Food clubs are inclusive community spaces that offer donated food at a very low cost to people who are struggling to get by. However, they offer more than just food – food clubs connect communities and are places people come to also build friendships, support their mental health and connect with people living locally. Many food clubs also help connect people with additional services including mental health support, supporting them to improve their daily lives and build strength and stability for the future.
Since using the services supported by Nourish the Nation, 72% of food club users report that they feel less socially isolated.
We've partnered with the Royal British Legion for over 30 years, and in that times we've raised over £56million to support our Armed Forces community. We welcome volunteers into our stores nationwide throughout the Poppy Appeal helping to raise funds for vital projects within the armed forces such as providing expert guidance and advice on a range of topics including physical and mental health, money and debt, care and caring and employment.
Through Just Giving, our colleagues raised over £105k for charities in 2024/2025. Colleagues have supported Comic Relief, Alzheimer's Society, Brain Tumour Charity, Crisis, GroceryAid, Macmillan Cancer Support, Mind, Save the Children and many more.
SSC Colleague"Since moving to a fully hybrid working model, we’ve been trying to find ways to get colleagues away from their desks and engaged in physical activity whilst sharing the impact moving your body has on our mental health. So, we set up an Active Minutes Challenge throughout August to see how many minutes we could rack up, as a team, across the month."