Aldi is rolling out allyship training and diversity support to all 800 of its UK managers to help ensure that its workforce of around 40,000 colleagues feel respected and included in the workplace.

The German discounter aims to empower and encourage managers to better support, collaborate with and advocate for colleagues from minority groups.

The new training – which aims to help managers create a more inclusive workplace in its stores, warehouses and offices – will cover topics including raising awareness of allyship, how to adopt allyship behaviours and how to productively challenge others.

It follows the launch of Aldi’s allyship guide earlier this year, which provided colleagues with information on how they can be an ally to anyone who has experienced societal barriers, such as those from different religions or racial and ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ identities and those living with a disability.

The guide is part of Aldi’s wider ‘Embrace’ Diversity and Inclusion strategy, which focuses on ensuring Aldi is a respectful, supportive and representative place to work.

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Last month, Aldi also boosted its starting pay for store assistants to a minimum of £11.40 per hour nationally, and £12.85 within the M25.

The supermarket also partnered with Diversifying Group to deliver webinars to colleagues last year, with more rolling out over the next few months.

“We’re always looking for ways to better support our colleagues, and providing training for our managers is a significant step we can take to assist them and their teams in becoming allies,” diversity and inclusion director at Aldi UK, Richard Shuttleworth said.

“Fostering a positive work environment for all our colleagues is about everyday actions, and implementing this training is just another of the many ways we are committed to helping achieve that.”