Taking Action
Creating jobs
Diversity, equity, inclusion and growth
We create a working environment where colleagues from all backgrounds are valued and can develop professionally.
During 2023, our employees received an average of 2.5 hours training.
We offer everyone the opportunity to work at Action, regardless of background. In 2023, we employed people of 155 different nationalities. At the same time, we also value local knowledge – in eight of our eleven countries of operation, we have 100% local management, giving us vital expertise. At the end of 2023, 72% of our workforce were women. And, over the past year, we created 8,988 new jobs, mainly by expanding our network of stores and distribution centres. We offer all employees fair pay and benefits, as well as opportunities to grow within the company – part of our culture of ‘recognition’.
Action employed 69,040 people in 2023
Men
Women
Gender diversity
To support continued growth, we have a People Plan in place. With this plan, we are looking to streamline and formalise our HR processes, strengthen our approach to talent management, encourage greater diversity in our workforce and begin to build capabilities for the future. At work, we want all Action employees to feel comfortable being themselves, regardless of their education, gender, age, sexual orientation or religion – this is part of our People Promise. We believe that encouraging diversity will bring us closer to our customers and local communities.
Through our People Plan, we’re building new capabilities
We have a policy of promoting internally
Throughout Action, we encourage internal promotions – this helps preserve the Action DNA as we continue to expand our store network. Our goal is to have, on average, at least one internal promotion annually per store. In 2023, we promoted 2,742 employees to team leader, store manager or assistant store manager, at an average of 1.07 per Action store. Our managers are trained to spot talent on the store floor.
Action employees in 2023
Distribution centres 2%
Offices 3%
Stores 95%
With temporary contracts
With permanent contracts
Below 30 years old
Over 50 years old
Between 30-50 years old
Full-time employees
Part-time employees
Total 69,040
Austria 2,206
Belgium 3,629
Czech Republic 1,536
France 18,885
Germany 12,353
Italy 1,173
Luxembourg 165
Netherlands 23,183
Poland 4,882
Portugal 20
Slovakia 399
Spain 609
Skills-based
Mandatory
Leadership
Action employees receive extensive training and support. Some is mandatory – in areas such as safety, first aid and data privacy. We also offer skills training to support personal development and open up new career opportunities for our employees. In 2023, we continued to roll out our leadership training programmes. Approximately 300 managers completed our six-month senior leadership course; we’ve piloted similar courses for store managers and assistant store managers. During the year, we also granted 920 internships to help prepare students for a career in retail.
It’s important to us that our workforce is engaged. We organise a regular employee survey, called the Voice of Action. This survey was completed by 94% of Action employees in 2023; it allows employees to provide feedback on everything from workload to training and development. Results are fed back to our management so they can make improvements to working conditions with their teams. Our Voice of Action surveys are organised every two years. In addition, we conduct regular surveys for employees joining or leaving the company to learn from our new colleagues and those who leave us.
To achieve this, we offer regular training – to help employees in our distribution centres use machinery safely, for example, or to avoid accidents in our stores and offices. We also conduct safety risk assessments and organise health and safety awareness events. Across Action, we also put emphasis on well-being, running our second annual Vitality week in 2023 across our stores, distribution centres and offices, during which we promoted healthy food in canteens, offered health-checks and advice, as well as massages.
We also aim to support the needs of our employees’ families, too, through the Action Scholarship Fund, which helps employees needing help to pay for their children’s schooling. We set up the fund in 2018, and expanded it 2022 to offer employees support in paying for their children’s tuition, extra-curricular schooling or school supplies. By the end of 2023, the fund was available in all Action countries except Spain and Slovakia, which will be added in 2024.
We offer everyone the opportunity to work at Action, regardless of background. In 2023, we employed people of 155 different nationalities. At the same time, we also value local knowledge – in eight of our eleven countries of operation, we have 100% local management, giving us vital expertise. At the end of 2023, 72% of our workforce were women. And, over the past year, we created 8,988 new jobs, mainly by expanding our network of stores and distribution centres. We offer all employees fair pay and benefits, as well as opportunities to grow within the company – part of our culture of ‘recognition’.
Action employed 69,040 people in 2023
Diversity, equity, inclusion and growth
We create a working environment where colleagues from all backgrounds are valued and can develop professionally.
During 2023, our employees received an average of 2.5 hours training.
Men
Women
Gender diversity
To support continued growth, we have a People Plan in place. With this plan, we are looking to streamline and formalise our HR processes, strengthen our approach to talent management, encourage greater diversity in our workforce and begin to build capabilities for the future. At work, we want all Action employees to feel comfortable being themselves, regardless of their education, gender, age, sexual orientation or religion – this is part of our People Promise. We believe that encouraging diversity will bring us closer to our customers and local communities.
Through our People Plan, we’re building new capabilities
Total 69,040
Austria 2,206
Belgium 3,629
Czech Republic 1,536
France 18,885
Germany 12,353
Italy 1,173
Luxembourg 165
Netherlands 23,183
Poland 4,882
Portugal 20
Slovakia 399
Spain 609
Full-time employees
Part-time employees
Below 30 years old
Over 50 years old
Between 30-50 years old
With temporary contracts
With permanent contracts
Distribution centres 2%
Offices 3%
Stores 95%
Action employees in 2023
Throughout Action, we encourage internal promotions – this helps preserve the Action DNA as we continue to expand our store network. Our goal is to have, on average, at least one internal promotion annually per store. In 2023, we promoted 2,742 employees to team leader, store manager or assistant store manager, at an average of 1.07 per Action store. Our managers are trained to spot talent on the store floor.
We have a policy of promoting internally
Action employees receive extensive training and support. Some is mandatory – in areas such as safety, first aid and data privacy. We also offer skills training to support personal development and open up new career opportunities for our employees. In 2023, we continued to roll out our leadership training programmes. Approximately 300 managers completed our six-month senior leadership course; we’ve piloted similar courses for store managers and assistant store managers. During the year, we also granted 920 internships to help prepare students for a career in retail.
Skills-based
Mandatory
Leadership
It’s important to us that our workforce is engaged. We organise a regular employee survey, called the Voice of Action. This survey was completed by 94% of Action employees in 2023; it allows employees to provide feedback on everything from workload to training and development. Results are fed back to our management so they can make improvements to working conditions with their teams. Our Voice of Action surveys are organised every two years. In addition, we conduct regular surveys for employees joining or leaving the company to learn from our new colleagues and those who leave us.
We also aim to support the needs of our employees’ families, too, through the Action Scholarship Fund, which helps employees needing help to pay for their children’s schooling. We set up the fund in 2018, and expanded it 2022 to offer employees support in paying for their children’s tuition, extra-curricular schooling or school supplies. By the end of 2023, the fund was available in all Action countries except Spain and Slovakia, which will be added in 2024.
To achieve this, we offer regular training – to help employees in our distribution centres use machinery safely, for example, or to avoid accidents in our stores and offices. We also conduct safety risk assessments and organise health and safety awareness events. Across Action, we also put emphasis on well-being, running our second annual Vitality week in 2023 across our stores, distribution centres and offices, during which we promoted healthy food in canteens, offered health-checks and advice, as well as massages.
