Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

BonusesLatest NewsPay & benefits

Record bonuses for retail staff defended by bullish supermarkets

by Guy Logan 19 Feb 2009
by Guy Logan 19 Feb 2009

Retail reward managers have defended some of the biggest staff bonuses on record, despite business experts predicting 2009 will be the worst year on record for the sector.

Supermarket giant Asda paid out its largest ever bonus to staff on 13 February, costing £21m for all 127,000 employees. More than 50,000 staff at rival Tesco will share £126m from the retailer’s Save As You Earn (SAYE) scheme, with some receiving over £5,600.

Yet last month Tesco admitted it was expecting the year ahead be tough, as it lost out on sales to Asda over the Christmas period. Underlying sales at Tesco were up just 2.5% in the seven weeks to 10 January. Like-for-like sales at Asda, the UK’s second biggest supermarket, were up 7.2% on the quarter.

Louise Pocock, UK benefits manager for Tesco insisted the approach to reward was fair despite a fall in profits.

“These bonuses are available to everyone from the shop-floor to the board room, and its benefit stretches right through to retention and even employee engagement,” she told Personnel Today.

“It’s important that everyone feels welcome at work, and providing bonus schemes like this is a way to say ‘thank you’ to employees, so they feel they can share in the success of the company.”

Jane Earnshaw, UK reward manager for Asda, said: “It’s not like the financial sector, because this is purely profit-driven and staff still receive their hourly wage – there are no targets or measures that are hard to attain.”

She added that bonuses were an important retention tool, crucial in a competitive retail market.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Earlier this month Personnel Today reported that reward strategies were undergoing a radical revamp as employers battle to retain talented workers while cutting costs during the recession. But the UK Pensions Regulator yesterday urged employers not to slash pension contributions amid the financial turmoil.

Tesco is one of the few remaining retailers that offers a final salary pension to all staff, with more than half (160,000 out of 270,000) enrolled. At Asda, 5,000 of the 125,000 workforce have a final salary pension.

Guy Logan

previous post
Pensions Regulator warns firms over cutting pension contributions
next post
COA Solutions launch HCM Portal

You may also like

Government publishes ‘roadmap’ for Employment Rights Bill

1 Jul 2025

Ethnicity and disability pay gaps: Ready to report?...

1 Jul 2025

Government moves swiftly on immigration reform

1 Jul 2025

One in eight senior NHS managers from black...

1 Jul 2025

Government launches ‘landmark’ review of parental leave

1 Jul 2025

Clarks cuts 1,200 jobs after ‘year of transition’

1 Jul 2025

How HR can support families with adoption

1 Jul 2025

Co-op equal pay claims move onto next stage

30 Jun 2025

‘Be direct’ to avoid escalating conflict, advises Acas

30 Jun 2025

Reforming paternity leave could benefit UK by £13bn...

30 Jun 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+