M&S Introduces WalkSafe App to Help Staff Feel Safer on Their Journey Home
By Community Correspondent
Marks & Spencer is introducing the WalkSafe app for colleagues across the UK, giving them access to personal safety tools designed to help them feel safer when travelling alone or commuting after dark.
The retailer says the move is part of its ongoing investment in colleague wellbeing and security, following feedback that journeys to and from work can often be when people feel most vulnerable.
WalkSafe Pro provides users with safety information based on police data, local authority intelligence and reports from other app users.
The aim is to help people make more informed decisions about the routes they take and stay connected to support if they feel unsafe.
Colleagues will be able to share their live journey with trusted contacts and access an SOS function linked directly to Mitie's 24-hour control centre. Trained operators can monitor incidents in real time and coordinate support where needed.
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Unlike many workplace safety tools, the app can also be used outside working hours, giving colleagues access to the same features whether they are travelling home from a shift, meeting friends or heading out for the evening.
M&S also plans to make its stores designated WalkSafe Safe Spaces.
As the scheme is rolled out, users of the app will be able to identify nearby M&S stores as places where they can go if they feel unsafe or need support during a journey.
Store colleagues will receive training to help them respond confidently and consistently, extending the initiative beyond employees and into the wider community.
Thinus Keeve, Retail Director at M&S, said:
"Our colleagues have told us that travelling to and from work can be when they feel most vulnerable. WalkSafe is a simple but powerful way we're responding.
"It's another way we're continuing to invest in security, helping our people stay connected and supported wherever they are. As our stores become WalkSafe Safe Spaces, we're also able to play a role in helping create safer environments within the communities we serve."
Jason Towse, Managing Director of Business Services at Mitie, said the partnership would provide reassurance both inside and outside the workplace.
"Everyone deserves to feel safe, whether they're at work, travelling home or out in their own time. By combining WalkSafe's technology with Mitie's 24/7 monitoring and response capability, we're able to provide practical support when it's needed most."
WalkSafe founder Emma Kay said the app was created to address the fact that many people do not feel safe travelling alone, particularly after dark.
She added:
"Through partnerships like this with M&S, we're helping more people access practical safety tools while encouraging organisations to play a greater role in supporting both colleagues and local communities."
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