One of John Lewis Partnership’s health and wellbeing programmes is on track to achieve its aims.
Nineteen months after the retailer implemented its ‘Partners in Sport’ scheme, almost 10,000 partners (employees) have been involved in one or more aspects of the programme. The organisation has also invested more than £1 million in various sporting activities, including funs runs, marathons or the Three Peaks Challenge.
The programme, which is offered to all 70,000 staff as part of the retail group’s reward strategy, will run until the London Olympics in 2012.
As well as encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle, the scheme also aims to serve the wider community. Andrew Clark, head of reward at John Lewis Partnership, said: “Allowing partners the opportunity to gain qualifications around coaching in sport then enables them to get involved with local communities or schools, and transfer that knowledge.”
The group, which operates John Lewis and Waitrose stores, now has 150 employees at various stages of becoming a qualified sports coach, and aims to fund a total of 1,000 places by the end of 2012. Simon Wardell, manager of Partners in Sport, said: “For 50% of those places we are requesting [employees] take their coaching qualification back into the community to deliver our commitment there.”
Clark added: “A key thing about this programme is that it raises awareness of a healthy and active lifestyle. Clearly, [staff] who are healthy and active and have a well-balanced social and work-life balance are more likely to perform more productively and be more engaged.”
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