The Next retail chain has been criticised by staff about working conditions during the lockdown.

Staff – some anonymous – have contacted LeicestershireLive with concerns about social distancing within its Enderby, Leicestershire, head office and Gedding Road Directory call centre, in Leicester.

The chain, which last week reported annual sales of almost £4.4 billion and profits of more than £728 million, closed its shops on Monday along with other chains selling non-essential goods.

Online operations are still running.

Its plans to deal with the crisis include working around a worst-case scenario of a three month company shutdown, leading to a £1 billion drop in turnover over the next year.

Next

One Gedding Road employee, who did give their name, said they were told it was up to them if they wanted to self-isolate when a colleague was diagnosed with coronavirus. They said it could be unpaid or taken out of their holidays.

They said: “We are told to leave a 2m gap between each other by the Government, however at work I can see that the gap is only 1m.

“To be telling other colleagues you can self-isolate unpaid or take it from your holidays… is disgraceful.”

Another said: “Why is the call centre at Gedding Road, Leicester, still open with no provision made to the 2m separation? Even their India office is closed.”

Another, who also gave their name, said: “Although the Government have advised everyone to work from home where necessary, Next in Enderby are forcing their staff to still come in to the office every day.”

Next in Highcross, Leicester

In its response, Next said Government policy was that online retail was still “open and encouraged”, and postal and delivery services would “run as normal”.

It said anyone not essential to online operations or vital head office support “must not come to work”.

It said it was increasing levels of sanitisation and social distancing.

Contact centres had been close to all incoming calls, it said, and the “vast majority” of contact centre staff were at home.

The business said: “We are working as hard as we can to allow customer enquiries to be handled by e-mail and chat from colleagues working from home.

“The small number that remain in our call centres are working to facilitate, roll out and co-ordinate home working.”

It added: “If there are any reasons why colleagues personally feel that it is not appropriate for them to work we will be understanding and accommodating, they just need to let us know.

“For example, if they cannot manage their child care, if they cannot travel safely to work or for any other good reason.

“If colleagues are unable to work their usual hours we will be as flexible as we can to accommodate the hours and times that suit them.”

It its response to the concerns the business said it believed the availability of online shopping provided a “degree of continuity in difficult times and helped preserve employment in an important part of the economy”.

It would monitor Government guidelines carefully, it said, and adapt operations accordingly.

In its statement the company said: “We are requesting that those colleagues whose presence in the workplace is essential to the continuity of online service, do come to work.”

A Next shop

It added: “If there are any reasons why colleagues personally feel that it is not appropriate for them to work we will be understanding and accommodating.

“For example, if colleagues are caring for a vulnerable person at home, if they cannot manage their child care, if they cannot travel safely to work or any other good reason.

“If colleagues are unable to work their usual hours we will be as flexible as we can to accommodate the hours and times that suit them.

“We will do everything that is reasonably possible to keep our workplaces safe and minimise risk of infection.

“For example, (1) social distancing will be rigorously enabled and enforced and (2) all equipment sanitized before and after use by any individual.”

The business said its online warehouses and online distribution operations were still open but would “strictly adhere to official guidance on safe working”.

It said: “Our warehouses, distribution, some store stock processing (for this week only) and some of our call centre operations are essential for us to give continuity of service.

“We are increasing levels of safety supervision and compliance in all operational workplaces to ensure they remain safe.

“We are also investing in increased levels of sanitisation.

“We have already implemented measures to maintain strict social distancing.

“Further measures are being introduced to increase compliance and increase the distance between employees when they are at work.”