Sports Direct's 'culture of fear' exposed

Warehouse employees at UK-based retailer Sports Direct are effectively being paid below minimum wage, according to The Guardian.

An undercover investigation by The Guardian has revealed a strict culture of alleged intimidation, where staff are “searched daily, harangued via tannoy to hit targets and can be sacked in a ‘six strikes and you’re out’ regime.”

One of the practices highlighted by the report was systemised deductions, whereby staff were docked sizable amounts from their wages if they clocked into work just one minute late. They were not, however, paid overtime for clocking out after their shift had ended. The effective rate of pay amounted to just £6.50 an hour, much less than the minimum wage, which is potentially saving the company millions of pounds every year.

Other questionable policies included being harassed via a loud-speaker in the warehouse if a manager deemed an employee was not working quickly enough. Staff are also banned from wearing 802 separate clothing brands at work.