Employee experience | How John Lewis & Partners improved staff satisfaction and earned £1.5million

by Stuart Tucker | Jan 22, 2019 | Alumni news

John Lewis & Partners wanted in-store customers to have the same choice and convenience as online shoppers.

So they decided to give a digital handheld device to shop floor Partners. If a customer couldn’t find the right size or colour, the Partner could check stock in another shop or order it online for them.

But there were major hurdles to rolling out this kind of technology. What’s the best way to train thousands of staff members who have different technical abilities?

John Lewis & Partners managed to tackle this challenge resulting in a 15% increase in online sales processed in-store, worth £1.5mil, and improved Partner satisfaction.

Read the full article on the HR Grapevine website: https://www.hrgrapevine.com/content/article/2019-01-18-how-john-lewis-and-partners-improved-staff-satisfaction-and-earned-1-5million

Other news stories

Case study: the impact of royal recognition on the University of York

The Princess Royal Training Awards is a new honour for employers in the UK who have created outstanding training and skills development programmes which have resulted in exceptional commercial benefits. University of York is one of the recipients from the inaugural year in 2016.

The eight leadership secrets of progressive companies

There are companies that always make headlines for being great places to work, like Google and Zappos. What’s their secret? That’s what the company Corporate Rebels wanted to know. It visited more than 150 admired companies to find out what they did differently. Here...

United by purpose – a letter to Princess Royal Training Awards applicants from Princess Anne

It’s fair to say, that no one alive has ever experienced a time like this.  You have to go back to the post-WW1 flu, the cholera epidemics that would lead to modern sanitation, The Black Death and the great plagues.  For all of us, it really is unprecedented, and it...

Macmillan Caring Locally: The Ripple Effect of receiving a Princess Royal Training Award

Mandy Preece created a volunteer training programme for Macmillan Caring Locally to upskill their volunteers in communication skills and provide end of life support.

In the press: Outstanding staff development at Welsh colleges honoured with Princess Royal award

Coleg Sir Gâr and Coleg Ceredigion have received a royal commendation for their innovative approach to staff development and training with a Princess Royal Training Award. The award is presented to institutions and companies that implement outstanding training and...

In the press: Royal seal of approval for Go North East and Gateshead College’s training initiative

Go North East, the region’s largest bus company, and Gateshead College, the best performing college in England for post 16 education and training, have received a royal seal of approval for their unique Bus Driver Routeway training programme in this year’s Princess...

Case study: the meaningful impact of receiving an Award on MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology)

In this video, Amy Atkins from 2022 recipient MOLA, talks about the meaningful impact of receiving a Princess Royal Training Award.

In the press: Somer Valley FM, by Royal approval!

The local radio station joined businesses from across the UK to attend a special ceremony at St James’ Palace for the annual Princess Royal Training Awards. The awards are the vision of Princess Anne and are managed by the City & Guilds Group. Launched in 2016, they...

Case study: increasing the amount of women in leadership roles at Towergate Insurance

Which women in leadership do you admire? Head of Learning & Development, Ian Sadler, adds to the conversation amongst today’s thought leaders on why more women in leadership are needed in male-dominated industries to help organisations stay competitive, and tells...

Case study: how IBM recruits a diverse workforce

In this video, IBM Foundation Managers Joel Thomas and Kelly Markwick talk about how IBM are actively recruiting a diverse workforce. IBM achieved a Princess Royal Training Award in 2021.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maintaining a robust process: A new generation of Ambassadors strengthening the Princess Royal Training Awards

This year the Princess Royal Training Awards celebrated their eleventh year, and the programme continued to go from strength to strength, with 132 applications received from organisations committed to delivering exceptional learning and development.

Delivered by the City & Guilds Foundation, the Awards remain a unique, evidence-based programme that recognises and celebrates the strategic impact of learning, development and training within organisations. Applicants must demonstrate excellence against three Hallmarks of Excellence, evidencing why training was chosen to address an organisational challenge, how it was implemented and the impact it had on both the organisation and its people.

Reflecting the increasingly global nature of workforces and training provision, this year we expanded their eligibility criteria to include organisations delivering training both within the UK and Ireland, and internationally. This development recognises the contribution of organisations with overseas operations that had previously been unable to participate.

Award-Winning Impact: How P Flannery’s Skills Bootcamps are tackling the construction skills gap and building an inclusive skills pipeline

When P Flannery Plant Hire received a Princess Royal Training Award in 2025, it recognised a bold, employer-led approach to tackling one of the construction industry’s most persistent challenges: a critical shortage of skilled plant operators. Through the development...

Celebrating award-winning apprenticeships with The Princess Royal Training Award recipient, National Theatre

This week, Her Royal Highness visited the National Theatre to celebrate its pioneering apprenticeship programme, recognised with a 2024 Princess Royal Training Award (PRTA) and a special Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Commendation. The additional DEI...

How Liberty Kitchen is using skills to unlock potential and productivity

When Liberty Kitchen received a Princess Royal Training Awards in 2025, the recognition went beyond a training initiative. It provided a powerful example of how opening access to skills can support rehabilitation and create wider benefits for individuals, communities...

Celebrating community radio champions who are investing in skills, inclusion and opportunity

Across the UK, community radio stations play an extraordinary role — not just in broadcasting, but in transforming lives. On World Radio Day we wanted to spotlight four of the outstanding radio stations that have been recognised through our Princess Royal Training...

A decade of excellence: Royal recognition for UK and Irish organisations honoured at the Princess Royal Training Awards

The Princess Royal Training Awards are the UK and Ireland’s premier awards programme for recognising training excellence. On Tuesday 2 December, in an awards ceremony at Fishmongers Hall, the City & Guilds Foundation had the honour of recognising 56 outstanding...

HRH The Princess Royal celebrates best-in-class workplace training in 10th anniversary year for Awards

HRH The Princess Royal, President of the City and Guilds of London Institute, awards employers for outstanding training and skills development programmes which have positively impacted organisations, people and wider society. 15 August 2025: City & Guilds has...

HRH The Princess Royal discusses the importance of creating aspirations for young people

n this video series, Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds, talks with our president HRH The Princess Royal about the importance of skills on society, about the role we play as an organisation and about the Awards that we created in her name – The Princess Royal Training Awards – which are celebrating their tenth anniversary.

HRH The Princess Royal discusses the diverse range of Princess Royal Training Award organisations

In this video series, Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds, talks with our president HRH The Princess Royal about the importance of skills on society, about the role we play as an organisation and about the Awards that we created in her name – The Princess Royal Training Awards – which are celebrating their tenth anniversary.

HRH The Princess Royal discusses the value of City & Guilds to society

In this video series, Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds, talks with our president HRH The Princess Royal about the importance of skills on society, about the role we play as an organisation and about the Awards that we created in her name – The Princess Royal Training Awards – which are celebrating their tenth anniversary.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This