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Partner Survey snapshot

Response rate: 90% (2008: 93%)

average Partnership score: +13.0 (2008: +12.9)

69% of shops matched/exceeded target score of +12


“While the movement in this year’s Partner Survey results is not as great as we’ve seen in previous years, I recognise those results were hard won against a much tougher economic and trading climate. I’m particularly pleased to see the evidence of good communication around the need for change. How changes are managed and delivered is as important to the future of the Partnership as the changes themselves.”

Charlie Mayfi eld, Partnership Chairman


68,700

Total number of Partners (at end July 2009)

17.1%

Partnership Partner turnover (July 2008–July 2009) – the retail industry average is 40%


Partner engagement

To make a truly democratic business, we need to give our Partners the knowledge to challenge the decisions we make and the power to influence them.

To improve their access to knowledge, we brief Partners on all major business decisions, hold AGMs, produce a range of online communication tools and printed publications, including our Partnership magazine the Gazette, The Waitrose Chronicle and local store publications, with their lively letters pages, and hold regular roadshows and presentations.

Partners can also infl uence decision making and challenge management on performance through a democratic network of elected councils, committees and forums, at a local, divisional and Partnership level. These include our recently revamped Partnership Council, whose role is to hold the Chairman to account, to make key governance decisions and to infl uence policy. Recent issues have included increasing the benefi t of shopping discount and widening access to the pension scheme, while also addressing the issue of pensioners living longer. To give Councillors greater infl uence, a number of specialist groups, designed to focus on the Partner, Customer and Profi t areas of our Partnership business strategy, have been created. An optimum number of elected Councillors, down from 81 to a maximum of 70 has also been agreed.

Partner Survey

It matters to us what our people think of the Partnership and in 2009, we ran our annual Partner Survey for the sixth year. In the survey, over 60,000 Partners (90%) shared their views on a range of issues, from pay and working hours to personal development and job satisfaction.

Reflecting understandable concerns about job security, the proportion of Partners who agreed with the statement ‘I feel secure in my employment’ fell by 7% to 80%. However, despite the uncertain economic climate, the average score rose slightly and 169 shops (69%) matched or exceeded our target score, while the PboP index – which gauges Partners’ feelings on how Powered by our Principles (PboP) is being demonstrated – stayed the same. Previous years’ results have helped to drive positive change, and once again, these latest scores will allow us to replicate what we have been doing well and highlight where we must do better.

For example, Waitrose Wolverhampton focused on communication, with Partners encouraged to share successes and achievements such as good sickness levels and hygiene awards. Meanwhile, John Lewis Solihull concentrated on raising awareness of the Partnership’s democratic bodies, with branch forum representatives wearing ‘I am your democratic body’ t-shirts and holding Dragon’s Den-style sessions to explain the functions of the various forums and councils. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40