Happier People

Our happier business starts with happier Partners, enjoying worthwhile and satisfying work in a supportive environment we all help to create. 

We treat people with fairness, courtesy and respect, and we work with others who do the same. We create an inclusive environment and celebrate diversity with our Partners, customers and the communities we serve. We’re at our best when we all feel welcomed and free to be ourselves. We take pride in making our customers happy. We put everything we have into everything we do, earning the loyalty and trust that we need to be successful.

Enriching the lives of all we work with

We aim to make a positive difference to the lives of everyone our business touches, including our suppliers. The Waitrose Foundation is the perfect example of what we mean by this and showcases how the support from our customers directly helps improve the livelihoods of farmers and workers in our fresh fruit, veg and flowers supply chains. And in the last year, thanks to our brilliant implementation partners, suppliers and farm partners, we successfully:

• Delivered 180 new and existing projects reaching over 75,000 farmers, workers and their communities
• Worked with 424 farm partners in 10 countries
• Generated £2.2m for the Foundation from the sale of more than 200 Waitrose products

Take a look at the full report.

Considering the needs of all our customers

Driving diversity and inclusion matters to us, in every area of our business and wherever we do business. One way that this has come to life is through the dedication of our John Lewis Stratford Partners, who worked with members of the local neurodivergent community and charities to make the retail experience better for our neurodiverse customers. 

The shop now runs a ‘quiet hour’ between 10-11am from Monday to Saturday, where we're reducing noise levels in-store while considering the effects of electronics and displays. This is designed to create a calmer shopping experience for our customers who need it, ensuring they feel more comfortable and more at ease.

Creating equal opportunity for all

We also want to ensure that all areas of UK business are diverse and inclusive places to work in, which is why we’ve partnered up with Trevor Robinson OBE and his non-profit organisation Create Not Hate.  

Many young people may not consider the creative industry as a career prospect and we want to break down any barriers that prevent young people's understanding of the industry and the opportunities available to them. Last September, we offered 100 young people from underrepresented backgrounds the chance to take part in our creative arts workshops. Four of them were given paid work placements within our design teams to work on bringing some of the workshop ideas to life. 

Watch our film to see what they have achieved so far this year with Waitrose & Partners… and check back here to see what happens with the participants working with the John Lewis & Partners creative design team: https://lnkd.in/ep4eBw_v

Leading on key employment issues

In 2021 we became the first UK retailer to launch six months’ equal parenthood paid leave and two weeks’ paid leave for any Partner who experiences the loss of a pregnancy.

Informed by feedback from our Partners who shared what mattered most to them, these commitments support our vision to become the UK’s most inclusive business for our Partners and customers, reflecting and connecting with the diverse communities we serve. 

Equality is a founding principle of the Partnership, which was formed almost 100 years ago and supported through our unique employee-owned business structure and written Constitution. These new commitments are a stride forward in redefining our responsibility to this principle and what it means to our Partners in today’s society.

Learn more about this initiative