EXCLUSIVE: The Body Shop is to launch a global HR Shop after rebranding its global HR function.
In 2013, the retailer’s international HR team reviewed culture, HR brand and HR products, covering 15 countries and around 8,000 employees. The rebrand is aimed at aligning its culture, HR brand and HR products.
Jeremy Hinds, international director of reward and employee engagement at The Body Shop, said: “By building the perfect HR Shop, we have been extremely aligned to our core business of retail and the project has allowed us all to ensure we have a full understanding of why we need to support our hard-working employees in stores.”
As part of the review, three teams across the HR function held brainstorming sessions on the subjects of culture, brand and products. A Dragon’s Den-style showdown was held during the first week of December, with the best overall team winning a night out.
Hinds added: “It was amazing to discover how many HR products exist, from employee benefits through to employee relations.”
The exercise culminated in The Body Shop Oscars, held during the second week of December for the international HR community, which handed out awards for HR activities, such as HR project of the year.
Hinds said: “Rewarding people for hard work is so important. The Oscars were based on fun and seriousness.”
The retailer has also launched a ‘Random Appreciation Jar’, where employees can write notes about their colleagues.
Hinds added: “These were randomly read out throughout the ceremony and will continue to be during team meetings and events moving forward. It was all very engaging leaving everyone fully energised and ready for 2014.”
The Body Shop is also working on a community wall for the HR Shop, which is available in every store, which it will use to let employees know what it has been up to and what is coming up.
