Sainsbury’s to postpone all staff Christmas parties amid Omicron fears
Sainsbury’s has asked colleagues to postpone their Christmas parties amid fears the new coronavirus variant will lead to higher staff absence levels during the holiday trading period.
CEO Simon Roberts has asked his employees to postpone all festive celebrations until the new year, adding the retailer would make sure “that no one is out of pocket as a result of this decision.”
“Our teams have done an amazing job this year dealing with all the challenges of the pandemic and with the many issues we continue to deal with across the food supply chain in the run-up to Christmas,” Roberts said.
“We are doing everything we can to protect Christmas for our colleagues and our customers and keep everyone safe.”
Sainsbury’s decision to postpone the Christmas gatherings came following internal discussions with the store employee representative group.
The move is set to tackle increased staff absence amid concerns that the new Omicron variant will worsen the ongoing labour and recruitment issues across the industry.
