UK retail’s charity retailTRUST calls on retailers to download, donate, direct and delegate during the charity’s Financial Health and Wellness month in January.
The UK retail sector’s charity, retailTRUST, is calling on the industry to activate four Ds – download, donate, direct and delegate – during the charity’s Financial Health and Wellness month in January.
retailTRUST CEO Chris Brook-Carter, explained, “Coming straight after Christmas, January is when people are the hardest hit financially and money worries soar. Each January, the Trust receives a huge increase in applications for financial aid and support and, in light of the impact of Covid on job security, we are expecting this to hit record levels in 2021.â€
In 2020, from January 1 till December 1, retailTRUST provided over £828,000 of financial aid in the form of non-repayable grants to help retail colleagues remain in their own homes, feed their families or make hospital visits. This was an increase of 125 per cent on 2019.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium said, “2020 was an incredibly difficult year for everyone, and retail workers were no exception. In fact, they continued to go above and beyond to serve us all throughout the pandemic. With all parts of the UK now effectively in our third lockdown, retail workers are under even more pressure. The work of retailTRUST in supporting them is beyond invaluable. And it is critical that across the industry we do everything we can to support the mental health and wellbeing of the people we have relied upon so much during what are likely to be the toughest months yet to come.â€
Retailers can show their support simply by talking about wellbeing and the resources available.
Download - https://www.retailtrust.org.uk/four/toolkit retailTRUST’s toolkit provides all of the materials necessary to start the conversation about financial wellness in the workplace.
Donate – www.justgiving.com/campaign/CaRe20 Last year, the Trust issued 125% more urgent financial grants to enable individuals to meet their essential needs. This wouldn’t be possible without industry support and the Trust gratefully welcomes donations to allow it to help more retail colleagues during their time of need.
Direct – to 0808 801 0808, helpline@retailtrust.org.uk or www.myrtwellbeing.org.uk/financial-support Visitors will find lots of content on budgeting, planning, handling debt, talking to loved ones about debt, and debt and bereavement, among many other topics.
“retailTRUST offers immediate help for everyone working in retail who is struggling as well as preventative support to enable individuals to manage their finances and plan for the future, but that’s only possible if workers know about us,†added Chris Brook-Carter.
“We implore all retailers to encourage colleagues and employees to get in touch with retailTRUST if they need our support. Our free and confidential helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Retail colleagues can also access our wide range of digital resources at myrtwellbeing.org.uk/financial-support.â€
Delegate – subscribe to wellbeing workshops at https://www.retailtrust.org.uk/helping-your-business/wellbeing-workshops
Retailers are encouraged to speak to their colleagues about retailTRUST’s wellbeing workshops, where they will find tools to help create a happier and healthier workforce. The sessions are specifically designed for retailers and the unique challenges they face.
For more information on any of the services retailTRUST provide visit retailTRUST
