Marks and Spencer 2006 Annual Report Download - page 19

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Marks and Spencer Group plc
Improving our employees’ ability to fulfil their
roles is key to our success. To achieve this,
we needed to simplify the way we pay, train
and motivate people.
A clear structure with real opportunities
In May 2005, we introduced a new four-
point pay and career structure for customer
assistants, creating some of the highest
rewards in retail and replacing a myriad of
rates with clear career progression through
the new roles – Trainee, Qualified, Coach
and Section Co-ordinator. These changes
mean we can now better recruit and retain
talented people.
In 2006/07, we will continue to develop the
‘Your M&S Career Path’ and will also create
a similar structure for Section and Store
Managers. This builds on our new retail
management structure which ensures that
some of our most talented people manage
our flagships, helping these key stores
perform ahead of the chain.
Training to deliver
Last year, we worked hard to achieve
consistently good service in every store.
Although there is more to do, our customer
research and monthly mystery shopper
programme found significant improvements,
following our biggest ever service training
programme, with 56,000 completing ‘Our
Service Style’ customer service training
during the year.
One in six of our customer assistants has
been trained as a Coach, responsible for
training new staff and upskilling colleagues.
Our 8,000 Coaches are critical in ensuring
product knowledge, work methods and
customer service are at the highest levels.
In head office, the Buying Academy has
trained 900 staff in buying and
merchandising practices, achieving far
shorter lead times and increasing availability
whilst managing tight markdown targets.
Listening to employees
Some 1,500 people across M&S are elected
representatives on our Business
Involvement Groups (BIGs), our vehicle for
employee communication, consultation and
involvement. We have broadened the BIG
constitution, increased training to make it a
more effective forum and now fund three
full-time representatives.
We introduced a new employee survey in
February 2006, ‘Your M&S, your say’, which
allows us to compare satisfaction scores
against other leading UK companies for the
first time.
Our People
Last year we invested more than
ever to enable our people to meet
and exceed the expectations of
our customers.
MEET ONE
OF OUR NEW
COACHES
Jill Gadsdon is one of our
Coaches at the Finsbury
Pavement store in the City
of London. She was trained
and accredited for the role
in November 2005 and has
since trained six of her
colleagues at the store. When
asked about what Coaching
meant to her, Jill said: “The
best thing about being a
Coach is watching people
I’ve trained doing a good job,
approaching customers and
going the extra mile to help
them. It’s nice to know that
my help and advice has given
them the confidence to be
better at their jobs.”
Turnover of staff, which fell by
1% during the year, is amongst
the lowest in the sector. This
means that we are retaining
more expertise and talent in
the business.
Our store teams now have
clearer responsibilities, better
scheduling and have all
undertaken our customer
service training programme, so
that they are better able to look
after our customers’ needs.
www.marksandspencer.com/people2006 17