Engaging our stakeholders
We believe that being a responsible retailer means respecting the interests of all our stakeholders, and this involves listening to them, responding to their concerns, being honest in our expectations and fair in how we report our performance.
Here we outline some of the ways we are actively engaging and involving our key stakeholders in shaping our vision and programmes for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Government, NGOs and other stakeholders Customers and Local Communities Employees (Partners) Suppliers Have your say
Government, NGOs and other stakeholders
As a responsible company we aim to meet the spirit as well as the letter of the law. We give a considered view to Government consultations on regulation that will impact our business and engage in regular dialogue with policy makers on key issues affecting our Partners, our customers and the communities in which we operate.
We are active on a number of business leaders forums and government policy advisory groups, including the Climate Change Leaders Group, the British Retail Consortium and the Retail Energy Forum.
Local authorities
We work closely with local authorities during the planning and construction of all our new builds. With a growing network of shops we need to ensure that our new shops are built responsibly and will operate sustainably in order to minimise both our impact on the environment and the local community.
Regulators
We work closely with regulators such as the Environment Agency and the Health & Safety Executive to make sure that the Partnership operates in compliance with the law.
On the very rare occasions that legal compliance issues occur, we respond immediately, working with the regulator and any other organisations concerned to rectify the situation and put right any problems caused.
Trade associations
The Partnership is a member of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the UK's leading trade association for the retail industry. Representatives from both Waitrose and John Lewis sit on various Policy Advisory Groups including those covering CSR, food standards, chemicals, the environment and product stewardship. The BRC works closely with government on all campaigning and policy issues on behalf of its members, and has built a firm and constructive relationship with key governmental departments. In addition to this, the BRC ( www.brc.org.uk ) has strong ties and dealings with the numerous regulatory agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
For more information on trade associations, see our section on retail industry sources .
NGOs and consumer associations
We work proactively with non-governmental organisations and consumer associations, responding to their requests for information and entering into constructive engagement on campaign issues that we believe should be supported. Examples include our work with Greenpeace on sustainable fish and sustainable timber; the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil; and Linking Enviornment and Farming (LEAF).
Find out more about our work with these organisations and Our Views on the following issues:
- Sustainable fish
- Sustainable timber
- Sustainable palm oil
- Fair trade
- LEAF.
Other associations
We work with many organisations which provide us with independent advice and expertise, helping us define our CSR policies and programmes. We also actively participate in a number of industry groups and forums that promote the CSR agenda, and work to develop industry-wide solutions to the many challenges we face.
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Customers and Local Communities
We aim to deal honestly with our customers and secure their loyalty and trust by providing outstanding choice, value and service. We like to hear what our customers think and we want to know how we can do things better. Only by gathering feedback on our performance can we maintain and raise our standards of customer service and keep customers satisfied.
We do our best to encourage customers to give us feedback, both positive and negative, by being open to comments and making it clear how customers can contact us. We also gather feedback ourselves through a variety of methods, such as customer surveys, panels, focus groups and online feedback forms.
To find out more about customer service, what our customers say about us and how we respond, see our section on customer service .
Local communities
As a large retail company we appreciate that we have a significant impact on the community. We engage with the community in a number of ways, and aim to build long-term relationships with local interest groups. Both Waitrose and John Lewis are actively involved with their local communities, not just through donating money and providing support and assistance, but by talking with local communities, understanding their needs and issues and recognising our potential impact on localities and our ability to help. We offer opportunities for Partners to volunteer their time and get involved in local events and activities.
Waitrose
In 2008, Waitrose introduced a new giving initiative, Community Matters. The scheme, which went live in all branches in September, gives each branch £1,000 to share out between three local good causes each month – such as welfare organisations, community groups, schools or local divisions of national charities. Customers vote for their preferred cause using a green token each time they shop and the money each cause is given is directly proportional to the tokens they receive. Under the scheme, customers nominate organisations, with the final decision made by PartnerVoice forums (Waitrose's local democratic bodies). Each branch will have a Community Matters Champion, who will find out about potential beneficiaries.
John Lewis
Every John Lewis shop has its own Community Liaison Co-ordinator (CLC) who ensures that the shop is playing its part as a responsible member of the local community. The shops management works with the CLC to develop and promote Partner awareness, interest and involvement in local communities. This also involves working with external partners like Business in the Community to help the shop build stronger relationships with local community organisations, and develop and promote our reputation as a responsible business and an employer of distinction in the local area.
New shop developments
With ambitious plans for new shop developments for both John Lewis and Waitrose, as well as plans to expand or refurbish many of our existing shops, it is important that we engage our local communities in this process. We aim to reach out to everyone concerned at the outset of a planning process. During the development stages of new shop locations, we carry out appraisals involving structured public consultation so that we understand the views of local people.
See our section on Our community for more information on how we work together.
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Employees (Partners)
The John Lewis Partnership's 70,000 permanent employees are known as Partners, because we are all owners of the business and share in its success. As Partners, we all have a say in how the business is run, as well as an equal percentage share in its profits. Giving our Partners a 'voice' is central to the principles of co-ownership and we engage the views and opinions of our Partners through a number of key channels.
Councils, committees and forums
We actively engage our Partners through our democratic network of elected councils and committees, the highest level of which is the Partnership Council who receive regular reports from the Chairman and other Partnership Directors and who are responsible for electing five directors to the Partnership Board. Both John Lewis and Waitrose have elected councils who hold their own management boards to account and can question senior management on any aspect of the business. Partners can make their views known through a variety of committees dedicated to community investment, support for retired Partners, financial support for Partners, and social and leisure activities. Branches also have their own local forum arrangements. Find out more about our democratic bodies .
Registrars
The Partnership has a team of Registrars, whose role is to act as guarantor of the Partnership difference and to help management and non-management Partners understand and live up to their responsibilities as co-owners of the business. Registrars provide a very important independent voice in the business: they are responsible for managing and guiding the Partnerships democratic bodies; they provide a sounding board for senior management; they make sure all decisions have input from and are understood by all Partners; and they act as independent, trusted advisors to Partners at all levels.
Publications
The Partnership has a number of staff journals that keep Partners abreast of business developments, but also play an important role in promoting democracy. Our company-wide weekly publication, the Gazette , was set up by our founder both to communicate news to Partners and to give them a forum for airing their views. To this day, Partners can write in to the Gazette anonymously if they wish, on any matter. All letters are published together with a reply (if required) from a director or senior manager.
Waitrose and local branches of John Lewis have their own publication, the Chronicle , modelled on the same principles as the Gazette .
Online communications
The Partnership has its own extensive intranet, JLPnet, which has information on all aspects of the business, from breaking news to the latest leisure offers, administrative procedures and democratic bodies. There's also a full directory of Partners, separate pages for branches and corporate departments, and links to useful websites. We also have an extranet site, PartnerConnect, that Partners can access from home.
Communicating with retired Partners
Retired Partners can access PartnerConnect from their home PCs. It includes much of the company, democratic and personnel information available on the JLPnet site and extra information specifically for retired Partners. We also publish a monthly magazine, Connections , for retired Partners.
The Partner Survey
Every year we carry out the Partner Survey, an extensive questionnaire on many aspects of the business sent out to all Partners. Find out more about the Partner survey and this year's results .
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Suppliers
Our relationships with suppliers, like our relationships with customers, are based on honesty, fairness, courtesy and prompt attention. We invest in supplier partnerships built on commitment and trust, which allow our suppliers to be genuinely rewarded for the quality and integrity of the products they supply. We expect our suppliers not only to obey the law, but also to respect the rights, interests and well-being of their employees, their communities and the environment. In sourcing products from many different countries, we strive to uphold internationally agreed standards of labour.
As well as the day-to-day communications between suppliers and our buying teams, we engage with our suppliers through conferences, forums, workshops, partnered projects, information programmes, open days, dedicated supplier online data-exchanges and specific initiatives such as our responsible sourcing programme.
Find out more about how we work with Our suppliers .
Find out about Our Views on, Sustainable timber sourcing, Temporary Labour and Gangmasters, and Farming Standards.
Responsible sourcing programme Supporting British producers Waitrose Foundation
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Have your say
To tell us what CSR issues concern you the most, to find out more about our CSR policies and programmes, or to tell us what you think about this website please contact the CSR team .
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