At Aldi, we’re proud of the positive impact we have made since we opened our first UK store over 30 years ago. We have lowered the cost of groceries for millions of customers, created thousands of jobs, supported British suppliers and invested in local communities.
Aldi is a company built on merit and opportunity. Our growth means that we can provide career opportunities for everyone, whatever their background and wherever they work in our business. We recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion and understand that Aldi needs to better reflect all of the communities we serve, as well as providing more support to minority and under-represented groups.
We want to ensure that Aldi is a diverse, inclusive and supportive place to work for everyone. That’s why we are currently making positive changes to the way we attract, recruit and support our people.
In early 2021, we introduced a new strategy called Embrace to help us on our journey. Embrace is built on five strategic pillars:
Employee Engagement and Support
Employee Insights and Data
Partnerships and External Engagement
Employer Branding and Attraction and Selection
Learning, Development and Awareness Raising
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Aldi is an equal opportunities employer. We’re committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. And we’re dedicated to promoting a culture of inclusion, and providing an environment in which collaboration, respect and fairness are essential.
We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any colleague or job applicant on the grounds of sex, race, ethnic origin, disability, age, gender nonconformity, marital or civil partner status, sexual orientation, religion or belief, being pregnant or on maternity leave. It means that Aldi offers equal treatment and equal opportunities to all employees and job applicants.
To view our full Equal Opportunities statement, please click here.
Here are some of the actions we are already taking to create an inclusive workplace:
Diversity and inclusion has never been more important to Aldi. So we’ve been taking the time to understand how Aldi can make positive changes from within to ensure we reflect the communities we serve. To demonstrate our commitment, we now want to formally introduce our strategy, Embrace.
Embrace means creating positive changes from the inside out so that Aldi lives diversity and inclusion. There are five key pillars to our strategy, including; Employee Engagement and Support, Employee Insights and Data, Partnerships and External Engagement, Employer Branding, Attraction and Selection as well as Learning, Development and Awareness Raising.
But we didn’t do it alone, #TeamAldi have contributed in many different ways and continue to do so. Some have offered their time, whilst others have shared their thoughts and opinions to help us progress our journey. We’re working towards making the workplace more inclusive for our people, all while supporting our communities. We’re on a journey and we’re excited to continue our work, ensuring our culture is inclusive and respectful for all.
When you listen, you learn. One of our Embrace pillars is ‘Employee Insights and Data’. It outlines what we’ve planned to make sure our work environments are inclusive and respectful.
That’s why, in 2021, we established confidential groups where #TeamAldi shared their lived experiences. The groups help us to learn more about colleagues’ perceptions, views and challenges. Hearing their stories directly means we have a better understanding of the positive changes we can make to ensure Aldi lives diversity and inclusion.
As well as groups, we’ve launched an Embrace survey for the whole of #TeamAldi. We want to know if people feel they can be themselves at work, and that they’re being treated equally. And we’re learning all the time.
One of the great things about inclusion is that nobody feels they have to go it alone. So, as part of our ‘Partnerships and External Engagement’ pillar, we’ve been looking outside for partnerships and schemes that can help us make Embrace work. We are committed to learning from other businesses to make sure we’re taking the right steps for our colleagues.
The BRC Better Jobs Charter saw us agree to a number of diversity and inclusion pledges including:
We also work alongside Business Disability Forum and the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme to inform how we can better support our colleagues and customers with different abilities in the future.
In an inclusive environment, there’s space for great people to do great things. And building an equitable process helps us attract those people wherever they are.
As part of our ‘Learning, Development and Awareness Raising’ pillar, we’ve taken away all barriers to internal promotion. High performers can go onwards and upwards. We’re focusing our Apprenticeship strategy on social mobility and D&I too. That will apply to our School Partnership Programme and also to our Career Starter Programmes, where there’s no longer any need for educational qualifications.
Training helps talent stay informed and relevant, and we love helping make that happen. We offered a Diversity, Inclusion and Sexual Harassment E-module in 2020, and in 2022 launched a Disability Awareness module. Plus we’re providing diversity and inclusion training for Executive Managers and above, so that they can understand what it means for them and their teams.
Another key pillar is ‘Employer Branding, Attraction and Selection’. We’ve reviewed our selection process, ensuring that equal opportunities are offered throughout. We’re also working with specialist partner Diversifying Group, who are helping us to build a diverse talent pipeline for the future.
We want to make D&I an everyday reality for everyone, in every single part of the business. That means finding ways to support #TeamAldi, and encouraging our people to support each other.
In 2021 we developed a menopause support guide for colleagues which will answer a lot of questions. In 2021 we asked colleagues about the D&I commitments they’re going to make as a team. We’ve developed support guides for colleagues and leaders on menopause and gender transition, providing support, guidance and information on how to navigate these big life changes.
We’re all here together, and we’re all keen to make D&I work for our business and communities. And we’ll look after each other while we make sure that happens.
We all have mental health, just like we all have physical health. With one in four people experiencing a mental health problem at some stage during their lives, many of us at #TeamAldi are likely to be impacted at some point. Our people are central to our ethos at Aldi; that’s why we’re sharing our commitment to continue to invest in improving how we look after colleagues’ mental health.
We’re proud of our wellbeing provision, which supports colleagues across five key areas of ‘MyWellness’ – one of which is mental health. Our mental health strategy is underpinned by three layers of support for #TeamAldi:
through our health and safety policy and procedures, Health and Safety Managers, audits, risk assessments, supported return to work procedures, and the Aldi Management System which fosters a cooperative and positive working environment.
by providing tools and platforms such as MyWellness, myRTwellbeing, a partnership with Mental Health UK and Team GB and access to wellbeing benefits.
by providing free services such as RetailTRUST helpline and Salary Finance options, and ensuring we have well trained Leaders. We’re dedicated to building on this by doing even more to bring additional guidance and support to all colleagues.
We want to give our people the very best support – no matter where they are. We created the MyALDI app for all our colleagues, giving everyone access to the same platform as soon as they join Team Aldi.
MyALDI is a place for colleagues to share their stories and recognise one another for the amazing work they do. It highlights business news, upcoming charity events and provides access to pay slips as well as information about benefits.
Plus, there’s information and contact details for all of our professional partners who are specialists in our five key areas of Wellness: mental, nutritional, financial, physical and social. For each area of Wellness, we regularly post useful links, articles and advice which is then available to all of our colleagues, 24 hours a day.
You’ll get more than amazing benefits and development when you join #TeamAldi. And you’ll get more than great support during the recruitment process. Here are some handy hints and tips to help you in the first steps of your application.
Aldi is committed to ensuring the equality of opportunity for all of our employees and job applicants. We value diversity above all else and are dedicated to treating all of our employees and prospective employees fairly and with respect. We do not discriminate and ensure that everyone is treated equally.
The law requires us to ensure our employees have the right to work in the UK. Before commencing employment, you will be responsible for demonstrating that you have a right to work. You will therefore be required to produce for inspection original documents dependent on your circumstances. These documents may include your passport or birth certificate, and where applicable a visa or share code.
Details of the documents you will need as well as further details regarding the checks employers carry out to ensure right to work can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide. During the recruitment process we will advise you when and where to provide the documents, and what information we will need to see. We thank you in advance for your cooperation with this legal requirement and for making an application to Aldi.