Supermarket giant Tesco is recruiting employees’ unemployed friends and family members to help deal with the busy Christmas and New Year shopping season.
Under the retailer’s ‘every little helpers’ recruitment scheme, which is taking place across stores nationwide until the end of October, existing Tesco staff members can refer their unemployed friends or relations for a temporary Christmas job .
Job candidates will go through Tesco’s normal selection process and those who are chosen will work in their temporary roles for between 12 and 36 hours a week throughout December.
The 6,000 festive season helpers will receive the retailer’s standard wage rate but will paid on a weekly basis to help them fund their Christmas purchases .
The move comes after research by the company found nearly 20 per cent of its UK staff has a friend or family member who has lost their job in the last year.
Lorna Bryson, head of resourcing for Tesco’s UK operations, said: “This year we want to give extra support to our staff’s friends and families over the festive period.
“By offering these temporary roles we hope to provide our staff and their relatives with extra help, supporting those who have been most affected by the economic downturn.”
“Our existing staff and their families will have a little bit extra to spend on making the most of the Christmas celebrations.”
