Tesco has launched a new initiative to support its employees in the UK, providing free access to the Peoplesafe app, a personal safety tool designed to protect staff during their commute to work and personal travel.

Peoplesafe, which is being offered to the company’s 300,000-strong UK workforce, tracks employee routes via GPS, aiming to grant them 24/7 protection, both when travelling for work and in their private lives.

By setting their destination and mode of transport before setting off, the app automates safety checks on mobile phones, enabling them to raise an SOS alarm if necessary.

If they do not arrive at their destination on time or fail to respond to messages asking if they feel safe, Peoplesafe control room professionals will call them to check that they are okay and, if necessary, can alert the local police directly.

Once they arrive at their destination, the app automatically closes the tracking process.

Tesco, which already offers its employees a support programme for physical and mental wellbeing, said the rollout follows feedback from colleagues who said they sometimes feel unsafe when travelling to and from work.

The supermarket giant said that the app does not receive any personal information about colleagues' use of the app or any alarms that are triggered.

Commenting on the initiative Rachel Bennett, shrink and security director at Tesco said: “Whether they are working in the office, stores or distribution centres, we know colleagues can feel vulnerable in situations where they are travelling alone or during unsociable hours.”

She added that the app aims to give colleagues “peace of mind” by letting them know that their journey is being monitored and that help is readily available if issues arise.

Daniel Adams, national officer for the USDAW trade union, welcomed the initiative, emphasising that all workers deserve to be safe both at work and outside of work. 

“It is positive that businesses such as Tesco continue to listen to these concerns and are making tangible investments to improve worker safety,” Adams said.

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