It’s all about people

With the retail industry still suffering the after-effects of the worst recession in decades, many businesses will be faced with the difficult question of how to cut costs.

As budgets become increasingly scrutinised, some companies might look to reduce the money put aside for training and motivating their workforces.

I believe that this would be a mistake.

Retail is a people industry and store colleagues are very much the face of each retailer.

Each week 20 million customers visit a Sainsbury’s store, rising to 24 million the week before Christmas. All of these customers will interact with, and rely on, our store colleagues.

Store colleagues work hard all year round to deliver great service to customers and feedback tells us that this is one of the main reasons thatcustomer numbers are increasing.

This is a great benefit to us as a retailer, but as a responsible business we have an obligation to ensure that the people who work for us continue to have all the tools they need to perform their vital role.

Our work in training and development led recently to us becoming the first food retailer to be awarded Gold accreditation by Investors in People. The detailed award process involved interviews with more than 2,100 colleagues in supermarkets, convenience stores, depots and support centres.

A further 1,400 colleagues completed a survey providing thousands of pages of feedback detailing what it is like to work at Sainsbury’s. When this evidence was reviewed, Investors in People judged Sainsbury’s successful in 165 of the 168 categories.

Far from resting on our laurels, we continue to look for new ways to add to the skillset of our workforce. Initiatives such as our apprenticeship programme or our innovative Skills for Life scheme - which helps improve English or Maths skills - have changed the lives of thousands of colleagues.

Whenever I visit stores I am often touched by the stories I hear of how gaining a new qualification has given them the confidence to make a real change.

By investing in store colleagues, retailers provide the skills and confidence necessary to not only to perform better at work but in everyday life too.

I am a firm believer that, when the economy starts to pick up, those who have been treated poorly by their employers during the downturn will take flight to rivals. It is important therefore not to take a short-term view.

Businesses that have invested in their store colleagues will see retention rates increase and motivation levels rise, leading to improved customer satisfaction. The investment that companies make now will be reflected in the bottom line for years to come.

We will continue to improve and strive to offer our colleagues more opportunities so that they can progress their career with Sainsbury’s.

I hope that other retailers will join us in focusing on this extremely important area.

Gwyn Burr is customer service and colleague director at Sainsbury’s