WH Smith has introduced a range of new initiatives to support the wellbeing of its 12,000-plus workforce.
The UK high-street chain partnered with industry charity Retail Trust to offer a number of personalised resources for staff and their families from this month (June).
Among the new provisions being offered are a wellbeing helpline, mental health support, counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy. Employees will also have access to financial aid, critical-incident support, rewards and discounts.
Helen Webb, chief people officer at WHSmith, said: “We’re working hard to make sure that WHSmith is a business where our colleagues feel happy, healthy, safe and supported. We already have some great wellbeing initiatives in place, including mental health first aiders and line manager training, but our partnership with the Retail Trust has really helped us to step up our support for individuals.
“The breadth of services and the great resources that they provide can make a meaningful difference to our colleagues and their families. We’ve already started to see some take-up from our colleagues, and we’re looking forward to working with the Retail Trust to make WHSmith an even better place to work.”
So far, more than 200 big British companies have already teamed up with the Retail Trust to boost their wellbeing support for staff, including River Island, Dunelm, The Works and Ann Summers.
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, added: “We’re really looking forward to working closely with WHSmith by providing its people with new support to help them strengthen their wellbeing and look after one another.
“Retail workers across the country continue to face huge uncertainty around everything from levels of abuse in-store to the rising cost-of-living so we’re keen to work with more and more businesses in this way to make sure their staff get the support they need.”
