Dixons Carphone has become the latest major firm to offer bonuses in a bid to tackle the driver shortage crisis.
The company, which owns Carphone Warehouse and Currys PC World, is promising to pay a £1,500 bonus to new drivers qualified to operate 7.5 tonne vehicles and the same amount to retained drivers. It is also offering staff who successfully recommend a friend for a driver vacancy a reward of £1,000.
The company has also launched a scheme this month under which anyone over the age of 21, who has held their UK Category B driving licence for more than a year, will have the cost of their training and tests paid for by the company – an average investment of £1,500 per trainee.
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The scheme will see candidates complete their theory, Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) and their practical test,while gaining on-the-job training. Drivers will also be trained up in health and safety and product installation at Dixons Carphone’s new technical training facilities.
Lindsay Haselhurst, chief supply chain officer at Dixons Carphone, said: “Our drivers are a vital part of our operation – our ambassadors on the road who perform the mammoth task of replenishing, delivering and installing hundreds of thousands of products every week, serving our stores as well as our customers in their homes.
“There is no better time to be joining Dixons Carphone, as we continue to invest in colleagues’ skills and reward, and we undergo our rebrand to one business – Currys. The pandemic has reinforced the important role vital technology plays in everyone’s lives today, so we’re looking for new drivers to join our fantastic team of capable and committed colleagues to help us continue to deliver on our vision of helping everyone enjoy amazing technology.”
Ineke Van der Veen, 49, (pictured), who has been driving a 7.5 tonne lorry for Dixons Carphone since July 2019, said the role offers variability and flexibility. She added: "I love driving, so being able to do something I love day in and day out is invaluable. I get to travel all around South East England and meet lots of different people – customers and colleagues alike – every day, and no two days are the same. To top it off, I then get to enjoy three full days off with my growing family. I’ve been in my current role for two years now and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
