Working in partnership
John Spedan Lewis gave the Partnership to his employees in 1929 with an ultimate purpose to balance the happiness of Partners with a successful business.
Tracey Killen, Director of Personnel
Three Partnership Commitments describe what it means to be a Partner and how we can make the Founder's principle flourish in today's Partnership.
The Commitments are:
- take responsibility for our business success
- build relationships powered by our principles
- create real influence over our working lives.
The following topics are key to enabling the Commitments:
Work/life balance Competitive pay and benefits Fulfilling potential Fair treatment
Work/life balance
Our policies and leisure benefits are designed to help Partners balance their working and home lives and therefore stay committed to long-term careers with the Partnership. They include flexible working, career breaks, long leave, a flexible retirement policy and a range of discounts, opportunities and benefits.
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Competitive pay and benefits
We aim to have a pay policy which is competitive while being fair to all Partners, and easy to understand. We want our range of benefits to be market leading, so that our total reward is in the upper quartile of the market.
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Fulfilling potential
We want every Partner at every level of the business to be able to fulfil their potential at work, by taking on new challenges or developing a management career. Wherever possible, the John Lewis Partnership promotes from within, and we have internal management training programmes designed to help us achieve this.
Training to give the best customer service
The Partnership aims to offer every customer the best possible experience, so we help all our Partners gain the skills and knowledge they need to perform to the best of their ability. This starts with a comprehensive induction programme, and continues during Partners careers through a range of vocational training opportunities, appraisals and access to a variety of learning resources. Customer service skills are our first priority because only through delivering excellent service can we maintain our position as a leading retailer. Partners receive regular feedback on performance, and are appraised formally each year against a framework of behaviours.
Promotion and career development
The Partnership wants to provide long-term careers for Partners whom we encourage to stay with us through a clearly defined path towards a management position. We encourage all Partners to fulfil their potential and have satisfying careers with the Partnership by:
- promoting suitably qualified Partners into vacancies rather than recruiting newcomers
- encouraging changes of responsibility on a trial basis if necessary
- helping Partners to learn as much as they can about the Partnership and our activities
- providing knowledge and training to help Partners carry out their responsibilities better
- encouraging Partners general education and interests in fields not directly related to their work.
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Fair treatment
We want Partners to be clear about their rights at work while encouraging a culture in which all Partners treat their colleagues with respect.
Diversity and equal opportunities
Part of being an employer of distinction is to create and nurture a culture that values the differences of those who are engaged in the Partnership, whether as Partners, customers, suppliers or as part of the wider community. Embracing diversity helps us to attract, retain and develop Partners while developing a creative and innovative culture and appealing to a wide range of customers.
Diversity in the Partnership is based on three values:
- Partners are treated as individuals and with respect, honesty and fairness
- our employment policies are fair and provide equal opportunities for all, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, social background, religion, disability or sexuality
- the Partnership respects and reflects the communities within which it trades.
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