Toggle high contrast

Case study – J.Sainsbury

Issue date

Case study - J.Sainsbury

Meeting the demographic challenge

'The option for members to reduce hours with no loss of earnings is a positive move towards worker-centred flexibility.'
USDAW, the shopworkers union

Sainsbury's strategy for meeting the challenge of the ageing population is to target older workers who are attracted by the opportunity to reduce working hours and achieve a better work-life balance but cannot manage on a part-time wage.

Sainsbury's project is called the Personal Retirement Plan:

  • employees can draw partially on their company pension to make up reduced salary
  • the company pays the administration costs and contributes to the pension scheme to age 75
  • members have a say in how the Plan is run.

The benefits are:

For the company - a more flexible workforce and a mixed-age workforce which, by more accurately reflecting customer profile, improves customer satisfaction, along with greater staff motivation, increased productivity and reduced business costs

For staff - shorter hours with no loss in income

The shopworkers union, USDAW , believes 'flexible working can be a valuable and attractive option for staff, meeting their changing needs.'




Enable Two-Factor Authentication

To access the admin area, you will need to setup two-factor authentication (TFA).

Setup now