Our Culture

We’re tackling some of the major challenges our business and society are up against with our Creating Change for Better programme. It’s all about guiding our efforts to where we can make the biggest difference – reducing our environmental footprint, creating healthier products, and supporting our communities across the country.

Read more about Creating Change for Better and sustainability here.

Even with equal remuneration and development opportunities that every one of our colleagues can access, we know there’s still a way to go when it comes to changing the imbalance of men and women that still exists in certain roles.

Right now, we’re very aware there’s a particular lack of representation for women in retail leadership. Only 24% of Asda General Store Managers identify as women – and we want to change that. So we’re setting a new target.

Since 2021, we've invited colleagues from ethnic minority and global majority backgrounds to take part in our Intentional Allyship programme. Through bespoke learning and mentoring with senior leaders in the business, it's designed to equip the next generation of senior leaders with the tools and confidence they need to reach their full potential.

We’re aiming to increase the percentage of women in GSM roles to 30% by the end of 2025. From our pioneering Intentional Allyship programme to trialling new flexible working arrangements, we're always looking for new ways to move us forward, and even go beyond our target.

And we’ll continue to look for more ways we can make that gap between men and women in our company smaller. So everyone has a place to find their everything.

Every career journey starts with an application form. Simple for most, but for those with past criminal convictions, it can make it difficult to make a good first impression. With one tick box asking about previous convictions, they know they might not have a chance to explain, or be considered for the role. 

That’s what Business in the Community’s ‘Ban the Box’ campaign is here to change.

As a Ban the Box employer, we’re committed to assessing those with past criminal convictions fairly – considering everyone, for every role we’re able to, based on their skills and ability, regardless of their past. So they can change their future.

That’s why, since 2020 (and 2022 in Northern Ireland), the tick box that asks candidates if they have criminal convictions hasn’t appeared in our application process. Though DBS checks remain in place for certain roles.

We do not, and will not, tolerate any kind of racism here at Asda. But being truly anti-racist means more than that – it means getting to the roots of racism. That’s why we’re committed to upskilling our colleagues around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. So they have the skills to challenge biases and thinking, and break down boundaries, to help us build a better workplace full of unique and diverse perspectives.

After launching it in 2018, we made our Unconscious Bias Awareness training compulsory learning for all our new managers in 2020. And to date, over 12,000 colleagues have taken part. We also deliver workshops on tackling race discrimination and how we can be better race allies every October.

We know there’s always more to learn and be done to make our workplace better for everyone. So we regularly review our training and work with key external stakeholders like Business in the Community and many more to support us in building a culture that’s consciously inclusive.

Here at Asda, we want to create a truly inclusive workplace, where everyone has the confidence to be themselves, the support they need to thrive, and sees themselves reflected in the culture. That’s why we are dedicated to being a Disability Confident Employer. This government-led scheme is all about encouraging employers to think differently about disability, and take action to improve how they recruit, retain, and develop employees with disabilities.

We’ve renewed our Level 2 status, which means we’re clearly demonstrating that our recruitment practices are inclusive, and creating a culture that supports our colleagues to perform at their best. Achieving Level 2 is a fantastic step on our way to shaping a truly inclusive culture, and we’re proud to share our journey towards creating a workplace where everyone can thrive.