John Lewis & Partners launches ‘Better Jobs’ supplier framework
John Lewis & Partners is rolling out a new supplier engagement programme to all of its 120 UK manufacturing suppliers.
Called Better Jobs, the scheme is designed to replace traditional ethical audits and aims to create more rewarding and enriching jobs for people who make John Lewis own-brand products.
The department store developed the new approach in conjunction with a group of suppliers, as well as an advisory group consisting of representatives from The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Institute of Employment Studies, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
The programme offers a framework which helps suppliers think about the ways they support, engage and reward their employees and also includes an employee survey.
The framework has seven themes: voicing opinion, progression, reward, security, job design, respect and health and wellbeing.
John Lewis will also be piloting the programme with 15 suppliers in China using a mobile app to communicate directly with suppliers’ employees.
Nadia Youds, social impact manager at John Lewis, said: “The Better Jobs Programme was set up following discussions with suppliers about how the partnership could support them with the challenges they face such as recruiting skilled people, future-proofing their industry and being more innovative.
“We wanted to support them to go beyond just meeting the law through ‘tick box’ audits which suppliers said they found restrictive; and to deepen our relationship with our suppliers and share some of our resources with them. So, we created the Better Jobs programme which assesses continuous improvements that have a positive impact on their employees’ experience of being at work.”
