River Island staff, who are known as "Islanders", are offered "sleep schools", resilience months, financial advice and other wellbeing tools to boost their mental and physical health. Mental health allies, made up of staff volunteers who have lived experiences of issues and who receive training, provide a safe, confidential space for colleagues to talk.

The fashion chain's employee assistance programme, which is run in partnership with the Retail Trust, also gives confidential access to support services outside of River Island.

The company has brought its Islanders together, including 6,000 retail staff, through online platforms, which offer social events, weekly tips, tutorials and training sessions, creating a more agile and unified team. Coffee mornings have encouraged staff to connect with people in the business whom they have never met. Games, team photo challenges and a Get Active campaign have also boosted interaction between Islanders, as have Time to Talk Day and Blue You Monday.

River Island, one of the best-known names for affordable fashion on the high street, has more than 350 shops in the UK and Ireland, as well as Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The company also has six online sites.

As part of its efforts to be kinder to the environment, River Island has set up a sustainability action group with volunteers from the workforce. The company has pledged to move to 100% sustainable cotton by 2023 and has joined the Better Cotton Initiative.