Poundland is partnering with the Retail Trust to strengthen mental health support for staff

Poundland has teamed up with retail charity the Retail Trust to extend mental health and wellbeing support to its 12,000 employees across the UK.

Under the new partnership, Poundland staff will have access to the Retail Trust’s confidential health helpline and a wide range of support, including counseling services, financial help and specialist support for young people in their care.

The scheme also includes dedicated resources to help staff deal with harassment at work, after research by the Retail Trust found that almost half of retail workers were verbally or physically assaulted by customers every week last year.

As part of the programme, Poundland managers will receive CPD approved training to help them better support their teams. The Retail Trust will also provide access to an AI-powered “happiness dashboard”, a tool designed to help retailers identify health trends and respond effectively to emerging issues throughout their operations.

Barry Williams, managing director at Poundland, said the partnership demonstrates the company’s commitment to supporting its partners in a potentially challenging environment.

“Our colleagues are doing an excellent job, but we know working in stores, especially in stores, can be challenging at times,” he said. “We are committed to doing everything we can to support them, and we are delighted to be working with the Retail Trust to deliver additional services to help protect their mental health and wellbeing.”

The Retail Trust is already working with more than 200 retailers across the UK to improve mental health outcomes in the sector, including Mountain Warehouse, which announced a partnership with the charity last year.

Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said the partnership with Poundland would extend vital support to thousands of retail workers.

“We look forward to helping thousands of our colleagues across the country live a happy and healthy life,” she said. “This partnership includes new training and ideas for management, as well as practical resources to help employees deal with the growing levels of workplace harassment.”

Founded in 1832, the Retail Trust has a long history of supporting people working in retail throughout their careers. The charity focuses on providing practical help, emotional support and long-term health services, with the aim of creating a healthy and sustainable future for the retail industry.

The partnership comes at a time when retailers are under increasing pressure from rising costs, staff shortages and challenging customer behaviour, putting mental health and wellbeing on the agenda of major employers across the sector.