Tesco Partners with Peoplesafe to Protect 300,000 Employees
Tesco, the UK’s largest private sector employer, is taking a proactive step to protect its colleagues, rolling out Peoplesafe’s innovative personal safety technology across its UK workforce of 300,000 employees. This initiative demonstrates Tesco’s commitment to safeguarding employees both on the job and in their personal lives.
The need for protection
Tesco partnered with Peoplesafe to bring a solution to every retail and distribution colleague in the UK based on feedback from colleagues in listening sessions, who said they sometimes felt unsafe travelling to and from work.
The investment provides an extra safety tool for use outside of work and adds to the multi-million-pound safety investments Tesco has made in stores, including panic buttons, protective screens and bodycams.
The further initiative comes against a backdrop of escalating aggression towards retail workers and growing concerns about employee safety during unsociable hours.
According to the British Retail Consortium’s Crime Survey Report 2025, the retail sector has seen a persistent rise in incidents of violence and abuse, with over 2,000 cases reported daily. The Retail Trust’s Respect Retail campaign further highlights the scale of the issue, revealing that nearly half of retail workers say they fear for their safety.
But safety concerns don’t end when employees leave the store. Peoplesafe’s own research, Overcoming the Employee Safety Gap, found that 60% of people feel unsafe commuting on public transport during unsociable hours, while 50% worry about travelling to or from work alone.
A technology led solution
To address these concerns, Tesco has turned to Peoplesafe to implement the Peoplesafe app across its workforce, giving colleagues reliable protection wherever they are.
If they choose to download the App, colleagues can get 24/7 support whether commuting for work or going about their personal life. By setting their destination and mode of transport before travelling, the app can automate welfare checks on their mobile to ensure they feel safe and allow them to raise an SOS alert if needed.
If they don’t arrive at their destination on time or fail to respond to welfare messages, then professionals at the Peoplesafe control room will call to check they’re safe and can raise an alarm directly with local police if necessary. Once they arrive at their destination, the App automatically ends the monitoring process.
This solution directly addresses the widespread anxieties associated with commuting and travelling alone, with Peoplesafe’s new research ‘Lone Worker Safety: Perceptions, Realities and Business Impact’ showing that 45% of employees feel safer when equipped with a lone worker device or app.
By giving every colleague access to this technology, Tesco is going above and beyond to ensure that support is not just available but actively helps colleagues feel safer when travelling alone.
Commitment to employee safety
Rachel Bennett, Shrink and Security director at Tesco, said:
“And in their social lives, we know colleagues sometimes worry if they are witnessing aggression on public transport, walking on their own or find themselves taking a taxi home as the only passenger.
“We believe colleagues will really value the peace of mind offered by knowing that their journey is being monitored and help is quickly available if they encounter any issues. They deserve to always feel and be safe, at work or in their personal lives.”
Naz Dossa, CEO at Peoplesafe, said:
“From working with them, it’s clear they genuinely understand the importance of protecting their workforce and are going above and beyond to ensure their teams feel safe and supported every day.
“This has only been possible by working in close partnership with ASEL, whose expertise have been instrumental in delivering this solution. Together, we are proud to provide Tesco colleagues with protection that makes a real difference to their everyday lives, wherever they are.”
About Peoplesafe
Peoplesafe is the largest provider of employee safety technology in the world. Our service protects your most valuable assets: your people – wherever they are and whenever they need it by integrating state-of-the-art technology with a dedicated, 24/7 Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).
Getting emergency help faster than 999 is our mission. We deliver on this by answering SOS alarms in 3 seconds through our fully accredited ARC, which has a direct line to police forces across the UK. This industry-leading service is why we are trusted to protect over 350,000 users and work with some of the world’s largest organisations, such as the NHS, BT and Capita.
