Tesco Becomes First UK Supermarket to Offer Paid "Safe Leave" for Domestic Abuse

Tesco, Britain's largest private-sector employer with around 300,000 UK staff, has become the first UK supermarket to guarantee paid "safe leave" for employees experiencing domestic abuse, Retail Gazette reported on 5 October 2026.

What the policy offers

• Up to three days (21 hours) of additional paid leave.
• Flexible use for practical needs such as court hearings, emergency accommodation, changing locks, arranging childcare or separating finances.
• No formal evidence of abuse required.
• Managers trained to recognise possible signs, respond to disclosures and point colleagues to specialist support.

The policy was agreed with the shopworkers' union Usdaw and developed with guidance from the Employers' Initiative on Domestic Abuse, a network of more than 2,000 UK employers. It sits alongside existing support such as confidential counselling, legal and financial advice and the Peoplesafe safety app.

"As the UK's largest private-sector employer, we believe we have a responsibility to support colleagues." — Emma Taylor, Tesco chief people officer

Why it matters

Practical obstacles, including time off work, can make leaving an abusive situation harder. Usdaw's Daniel Adams urged other employers to follow Tesco's lead.

Context

There is no statutory right to paid safe leave across the UK yet; a private member's bill ran out of time when the last parliamentary session ended. Vodafone has offered up to 10 days since 2019, and Northern Ireland has legislation for at least 10 days a year that still needs secondary legislation to take effect. Tesco's move is a company policy, not a legal requirement, but as a retail giant it sets a visible example for the sector.