Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are a team of 150,000 committed individuals. We know that everyone is different and we value this because it brings us so many diverse perspectives and ideas.
It also helps us serve our customers better because the people who work for us are also our customers. Having a workforce that spans so many aspects of age, gender, disability, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation helps us to understand what our customers want from us now, and how this is likely to change in the future.
Inclusion has become a fashionable word in recent years but it has been at the heart of our ways of working ever since the business was first established in 1869. Everyone at Sainsbury’s has the same opportunities to come and work with us and they are all treated fairly and equally when they do. We are very proud of our continued progress in this area but we know we can always do better so we make sure we spend time talking with our colleagues on a regular basis, so that we can tackle any issues, and break down any barriers that may still remain.
‘You Can’
‘You Can’ is our umbrella brand for the work we are doing to help our existing colleagues develop new skills, and make ourselves more accessible to a wider range of new recruits such as the long-term unemployed. This year, we have exceeded our commitment to provide 10,000 colleagues with job opportunities, skills and qualifications through our ‘You Can’ programme by the end of 2010.
Job opportunities
We know some people struggle to find work or return to it. That is why we were one of the first employers to sign up to Local Employment Partnerships in April 2007. These aim to help the long-term unemployed back into the workplace and last year alone we recruited over 800 people through Job Centre Plus and another 250 through the London Employer Accord. Our stores regularly support both of these organisations with skills sessions for local people looking for employment. We look for colleagues who have the right skills to serve our customers and can work as part of a team in a busy environment. Training like this helps people build their confidence and knowledge about some of the more technical aspects of the jobs we have across our business.
We are also working with the London Employer Accord to help ex-offenders back into jobs – there are 254 people on this scheme now.
In 2010/11 we are expanding our ‘You Can’ framework to help former military personnel start a new job with us through Career Transition Partnership.
Case study
‘You Can’ gives Lyn a second chance
Lyn O’Dwyer is a 53-year-old, lone parent with four children and had not been in paid employment for 24 years before starting in our Purley Way store. With her youngest child turning 15, she felt the time was right to get back into the workplace. “I was getting bored. My children are now self-sufficient and are starting their lives. It’s about time I have a second shot and start doing something for myself.”
Lyn felt that retail would be a good place to start as she had worked in supermarkets in the past, but her length of time out of the workplace was proving to be a barrier. Lyn’s Jobcentre Plus Advisor told her that Sainsbury’s was recruiting and she was attracted by the possibility of working at night as it would give her the chance to balance work with her family needs. At the end of the selection process Lyn was offered a three-night work trial. “After that, that was it. I got my 30 hours a week. It was brilliant.”
She feels that there are two key reasons why she was successful in her application: “her complete flexibility with hours and her friendly personality”. Lyn says that she loves her new job and would like to work for Sainsbury’s until she retires.
Job prospects for young people have been hit particularly hard by the current recession and this is one reason why we have given our support to ‘Backing Young Britain’. This is a national campaign that brings government, business and other organisations together to create new opportunities for young people. It’s a great fit with what we are already doing in our ‘You Can’ skills programme where we are giving young people the chance to get the skills and experience they need to succeed in retail.
New for 2009 was the ‘Try Before You Buy’ scheme which gave over 100 temporary colleagues recruited for the Christmas period the chance to join our new trainee management programme. As long as they met our selection criteria (two or more A-levels), they could complete our fast-track scheme and become one of our Department Managers leading a team within a year. We also increased our graduate programmes and placements this year and welcomed more than 60 graduates in September. We continue to offer paid placements for students during their summer break or a one-year placement to help them decide on their future career. It’s a great way to help us attract potential candidates for our graduate programmes.
‘You Can’ works well for young people, but it also helps those with a learning disability. We work closely with both Mencap and Remploy and through them we have employed over 250 new colleagues with disabilities last year. We are proud to be a ‘Two Tick’ company, which means we guarantee an interview to any applicant with a disability as long as they meet the minimum requirements for the job.
Case study
Supplying Colleagues with disabilities
John Smith, who is 37, used to work for an industrial manufacturer but lost his job as a result of the recession. He cites his physical disability as the reason why his countless job applications were unsuccessful, and he began to think he would never work again. However, John visited Remploy’s specialist recruitment services branch in Sheffield, and that’s when his prospects improved. Remploy has an excellent relationship with Sainsbury’s, and has placed many candidates with the supermarket all over the UK. John is working at the Crystal Peaks store near Sheffield, and he is undertaking a range of duties, including operating the checkouts at what is one of the company’s busiest shop floors.
Hazel Walker is the store's HR manager. “Our success with Remploy is based on our past experience of the quality of their candidates. Disability is not an issue with us; amongst all our colleagues, an ability to do the job and offer fantastic service to our customers are our only concerns.”
“It’s a privilege to be working in partnership with Sainsbury’s. This agreement is about connecting local people with local employers.”
Development opportunities
“Training is at the heart of the company’s vision and is integral to our business development activity.”
In June 2009 our ‘You Can’ skills programme was inspected by OFSTED and judged to be ’Good’ with two areas rated as ‘Outstanding’. The report found that our people enjoy their training, acquire good skills and are highly motivated to succeed.
We want to help our existing colleagues develop their skills and gain nationally recognised qualifications. Options range from apprenticeships, to job-related qualifications and to more general ‘Skills for Life’. Our apprenticeship schemes last for 12–18 months and offer vocational experience as well as a Level 2 qualification equivalent to five GCSEs at grade A* – C. We currently have over 400 colleagues learning new skills on Bakery, Meat and Fish apprenticeships and over 100 people over the age of 60 working towards a job-related qualification – in fact the two oldest trainees are 72 years old. All in all, 60% of our new recruits are studying for a nationally recognised qualification.
We remain committed to ‘You Can’ and will continue to support opening Sainsbury’s up to a wide range of new recruits and to help our colleagues develop new skills through our ‘You Can’ programme.
Case study
Sainsbury’s Bakery College
We launched this in March 2010 in partnership with the flour supplier, Whitworth, based at their flour mill. We are confident that the outstanding facilities, technical skills programme and individual one to one coaching will halve the time it takes for our new bakers, bakery managers and apprentices to complete a first rate training.
“The scheme was great, I learnt a great deal and it improved my confidence, as well as my professional reputation with customers. I can give much better service to my customers, can answer all their questions, even details about what ingredients go into products and give advice on what is suitable for various diets or medical conditions.”
“The bakery college and apprenticeship scheme is a great area to get involved in; you learn so many different skills and develop the ability to apply that knowledge.”
Diversity
We firmly believe in the benefits that a diverse workforce can bring; it helps us to understand and adapt to the changing needs of our customers and offers new and different perspectives on the challenges we may face.
We want to increase the number of female managers leading our stores. The number has grown over the past three years particularly in our smaller convenience stores where over 30% of the store managers are female. We would like to have women in 20% of our Store Manager positions across the business by 2011 and as things stand we are well on track.
That said, there is always more we can do to promote women and people from ethnic minority groups to management level jobs. We have updated the coaching we offer to line managers to include diversity awareness and this is working extremely well. Another important factor here will be the new ‘You Can’ Careers framework. This gives every colleague the opportunity to discuss their career aspirations and options and it has given many of them the chance to join a development programme or sign up to a job-related qualification.
We are also proud to work with our external partners including Employers Forum on Disability and Employers Forum on Age who share their expertise with us and we then translate this into our policies and coaching for managers. We do not have a compulsory retirement age, preferring instead to let colleagues decide for themselves when they wish to retire.
Flexibility
It’s the flexible working hours that attract many people to working in retail, especially those caring for young children, relatives or other dependants. Everyone at Sainsbury’s has the opportunity to request flexible working because we believe a good work/life balance makes for a more positive and productive workplace. We know that circumstances can sometimes change literally overnight and if our colleagues need either short-term support or a permanent change in hours, we will work with them to find a mutually satisfactory and workable solution bearing in mind the needs of our customers and our business.
Our key commitments
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Supporting the development of our colleagues
We will provide over 10,000 colleagues with job opportunities, skills and qualifications through our 'You Can' programme by 2010.
We will improve our leadership capability by investing in a development programme that will touch every manager across the business by the end of the 2010/11 financial year
Next steps
- We will continue to offer all of our colleagues the opportunity to gain an externally recognised qualification
Our views on the issues that are important to our stakeholders.
