Morrisons invests £30M in its staff
The retailer will replace outdated furniture and décor, separate casual seating and dining seating, introduce freshly ground coffee machines, free wi-fi, mobile charging points and revamp staff toilets.
The move marked another “welcome step forward” and came in contrast to Asda withdrawing a number of staff facilities to drive down costs, said City analyst Shore Capital.
“Mr Potts has recognised the need for a motivated team and so he has engaged in sustained listening to his people amongst all of the business’s key stakeholders,” Shore Capital analyst Clive Black said.
‘Base wages have been increased’
“As such, base wages have been increased with a simplification of the labour process, notably to motivate and allocate human resources more effectively to busy trading periods. Well-meaning but ineffective residual processes have also been withdrawn where possible, as more trust and responsibility have been given to the store teams.”
Morrisons announced that 90,000 store staff would receive a pay rise in September, with hourly rates increasing from £6.83 to £8.20.
Some Morrisons’ staff kitchens will also be developed and will include an expanded range of hot and cold foods.
Morrisons' £30M refurbishment
- Separate seating for dining
- Revamped toilets
- Free wi-fi
- Freshly ground coffee
- Mobile charging points
- Staff kitchens
The facilities would ensure employees are provided with the food and facilities to recharge during their breaks, Morrisons ceo David Potts said.
Listens hard to colleagues
“We are a business that listens hard to colleagues and responds wherever possible,” he said.
“We asked our staff for their views about their stores and many commented about their restrooms saying they would like them to be more relaxing and offer a better food service.”
Meanwhile, Morrisons completed its streamlining of its leadership team by the end of last year, with Andy Atkinson receiving an internal promotion to marketing director.
It has also made a number of changes to its retail team, with former Aldi, Costcutter and Spar woman Vicki Reay joining as operations director for the south-east.
David Lepsley also joined the Morrisons stores’ leadership team from Asda and Tesco man John McAlpine becomes the operations director for the north of England.
