An example of a manager’s role within John Lewis is a Trainee Section Manager. With this job role it would become his or her responsibility to be passionate about retail with the ability to inspire and motivate others and also you would need leadership skills, strong commercial awareness, strategic thinking and have the ability to be able to work as part of a team.
A day in the life of a Manager
A Manager in John Lewis would have a role such as a Department Manager. Within John Lewis this job is very much officed based. Every two years they would be required to write a business plan for their department. This business plan would include things such as, budgeting for the department. The work and progress of the department centres around the business plan.
The Manager has the job of controlling the staff and is accountable for their particular department, therefore
Supervisors
The Supervisors aims are: To control the day to day running of a department, i.e. Heads of Departments.
- Plan – Only what the manager delegated
- Motivate – Their own team and staff
- Control – Own department
- Can only make day to day decisions
The roles and responisibilities of a Supervisor
The Management Development Programmes (MDPs) are designed to help you equip yourself with the skills you’d need to take the first steps into the Management structure as a Section Manager, in charge of a section within a department. Most of the training for this programme would take place on the shop floor.
The John Lewis Partnership currently runs a scheme leading to the appointment to a Department Manager level role within 12-18 months, the starting salary being £21,500. The next step works towards being a member of the senior management team which takes 3-5 years.
You’d gain experience of working in more than one selling department. The Department Manager’s sole responsibility is for running a department and managing a team. Promotion depends on your ability to perform the tasks required and your personal qualities and management skills.
The rewards are the same as being a Manager at John Lewis thus, if you join the Partnership as a Manager or Department Manager, your pay range would be competitive and reviewed in the light of your progress.
An example of a supervisor within John Lewis would be a Section Manager; this job is for highly motivated individuals who are prepared to support the department manger in the day to day running of the Department.
A day in the life of a Supervisor
A Supervisor in John Lewis would have a role such as a Section Manager. The Section Manager is below the Department Manager, and works and manages the shop floor’s day to day, therefore has more contact with the Operatives. The Section Manager would ve responisble for the training of the Operatives, and also has to deal with customer complaints.
Operatives
The Operatives aims are: To carry out the duties needed for the business to function, only allowed the responsibilities of the duties being carried out.
The roles and responsibilities of an Operative
If you’re a student, the John Lewis Partnership might be able to give you the opportunity to gain work experience as part of your course, or even could provide work if needing to earn money during a vacation through an Industrial or Vacation placement. The John Lewis Partnership Summer Placements last six to eight weeks and offer the opportunity to develop skills in the workplace. You’d gain a valuable insight into working within the department store. You would also get exposure to different presentation, stock control and selling techniques applicable to a wide range of products.
Their placements are usually on the shop floor in John Lewis or Waitrose, although there are occasionally opportunities in the Head Offices in London. After having training and a successful placement, it is possible to develop your skills and become promoted to a Department Manager.
A day in the life of an Operative
John Lewis is open everyday from 9 o’clock in the morning till 8 o’clock at night. The standard full time hours would be 9 – 6pm, including one late night, 11-8pm.
The Operative’s job day to day is to handle customer service and selling, merchandise stock, arrange promotional displays, general house keeping, stock replenishment and taking customer orders.
The John Lewis Training Programmes
The John Lewis Partnership has its own internal management training programmes. Their aim is for every Partner to develop their performance and knowledge at all times. In order for them to do this they need to:
- Feel Fulfilled in their work
- Develop their full potential by being helped to take on new challenges or develop a management career
Learning and development need not be solely work related. The John Lewis Partnership has:
- Over 3500 Learning Resources
- Over 35 Learning Centres across the country
- Access to subsidies for vocational and non-vocational courses
- Product knowledge courses
“On the Job” and “Off the Job” training
On the Job: Any training which involves instructing employees at their place of work.
Off the Job: Any training which involves instructing employees, away from their place of work.
Managers and Supervisors:
There are specific Management Development Training Programmes within the John Lewis Department Store. Most of the training would take place at the sharp end – on the shop floor. All Partners would also be offered a Project Knowledge course. However outside of the department store Managers and Supervisors are offered the chance to go to a place called Skern Lodge which offers activities based on team building, the Skern Lodge trip would last approx. a week.
Operatives
The training Programmes for Operatives in the company are not as rigorous however just as important for the running of the Department Store. Operatives would experience training such as, till training, systems training, ordering training.
Retail Skills
John Lewis offers a programme to people called the Personal Development Programme (PDP) which harnesses your energy and enthusiasm to help turn you into a first class retailer.
The programme equips you with the skills and knowledge needed to do your job effectively and helps you take responsibility for filling any gaps in your understanding of retailing.
Once you have completed the PDP, you get an opportunity to study for a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ). An NVQ is recognised as a qualification that is achieved in the workplace at a time and pace suited to the individual. Once you complete the programme you are awarded an NVQ from City and Guilds.
The John Lewis Partnership offers the following NVQ schemes:
- Retailing
- Customer Service
- Visual Merchandising and Display
- Security Guarding
- Distribution and Warehousing
- Business Administration
Most of the John Lewis stores offer PDP and NVQ schemes. The start dates vary from different branches.
How Companies Can Motivate Their Staff
When it comes to motivating staff you have to consider what inspires your staff? What keeps them working for your company with enthusiasm and energy, pushing towards that bottom line? What makes a self-motivated workforce that's inventive and resourceful? What will make people stay with a company and help it grow?
Inspiring the staff of your company, takes time, effort and consistency. It's about creating a culture that inspires self-motivation as well as providing the security to develop and innovate.
A good salary, benefits package and training opportunities can certainly contribute towards a productive workforce, but that's not going to turn the staff into an inspired team or make them necessarily stay with the company in the long term.
Some people suggest inspiring your staff depends on whether they are managed rationally or emotionally. Some managers believe people need to be totally controlled and spoon-fed, and that's the pay-related, rational style of command-and-control management that's still very common in the hospitality industry.
However other people have suggested that there are managers who believe people are basically good at what they do and that given the choice they will make the right decision.
That requires a leap of faith, to let people get on with their jobs in an environment that will enable them to innovate and perform - as well as make mistakes without fear of a witch hunt. You then produce a commercial environment.
One Managing Director from a hotel – Peter Tyrie suggested “If you combine security, interesting work and salary to motivate your staff it enabled them to multitask, so jobs aren’t delegated up into specific roles.”
An essential tool for motivating staff is communication. It is very important that all communication of the objectives of the business is clearly articulated. People need to know how they contribute to the company and how they make a difference. The staff also needs to feel that their opinions and suggestions are valued.
The key values that should be recognized in motivating staff
Trust and let go
Believe in people's abilities and let them do their jobs.
Be an example
As a manager or director would be your job to keep consistent at work, keep appointments, and if things go wrong, keep it to yourself and deal with it.
Allow mistakes to be made
Promote innovation by allowing your staff to make mistakes without vengeance.
Communicate
Talk to your staff regularly about their needs and your needs, and set up a system of regular appraisals. Articulate what the business's objective is and how people fit in with it.
Treat people as individuals
Regularly appraise your staff's performance. Find out what they want and what makes them tick.
Celebrate success
Always celebrate success and significant achievements, or just say thank you. It's easy to forget to say it in the midst of a busy day, but it does reinforce the fact that each employee matters. For many people, genuine praise is more important than financial rewards.
John Lewis’ keys in motivating their staff
John Lewis offers a wide range of motivational techniques to their Partner’s including societies, a yearly bonus and health services.
Here are a few more examples of John Lewis’ motivations:
Pay Banding
Pay Banding has been a fundamental shift within John Lewis to how they apply the pay policy in the division. Pay Banding is in part a response to concerns expressed by Partners in a survey they took on pay. It is also a key next step in Management of Performance. Pay banding looks at several areas’: About me, Team player, Passionate Retailer, Leading and Developing, Creativity, Partner Customer Profit Chain.
These areas’ are aimed towards all jobs in the Partnership how ever the criteria varies. The Partner would get scored on appraisal:
1 = Partner is not doing very well
5 = Partner is doing very well
The scores from the different areas per Partner are then added up. The motivation technique behind Pay Banding is, the more points you get from your score not only shows your progress but can also help move your status.
“One Step Beyond”
One Step Beyond is a programme which has its own money fund. It is a programme which enables Partners who recognise a fellow Partner doing more than their jobs worth, to nominate them for a personal gift to say “Thank you for going One Step Beyond.” This programme applies to all partners.
Discounts
When a Partner joins to work for the John Lewis Partnership, after the first three months they will receive a 12% discount from John Lewis and Waitrose.
If the Partner has continued to work for the Partnership for a year then they will receive a 25% discount off John Lewis alone.
Paid Holiday
The holiday entitlement is four weeks per year, rising to five weeks after three years. There are further long-service increases for most Partners after ten or fifteen years. Management Partners, including graduate trainees, receive five weeks’ holiday from the outset.
Pension scheme
John Lewis offers a non-contributory final salary pension scheme, payable from the age of 60, to most Partners who have completed a five-year qualifying period.
Life assurance
John Lewis’ life assurance scheme pays a sum equivalent to three times annual salary to your nominated beneficiary.
Ticket subsidies
The Partnership offers ticket subsidies of 50% of the cost of a visit to the theatre, opera or concert hall are available up to a maximum of £60 per year. Partners may also take advantage of corporate membership to bodies such as English Heritage, the Science Museum and the Royal Society of Arts.
Education subsidies
John Lewis gives generous financial support to Partners who wish to acquire a new leisure skill or continue their education, e.g. through the Open University or evening classes.
Extended leave
Partners who complete 25 years’ service can enjoy paid sabbatical leave of up to six months.
Health services
The Partnership has an occupational health service staffed by three full-time doctors and fifty occupational health advisers.
Special help in time of need
In cases of particular need, the John Lewis Partnership will help a Partner with a loan or a grant.