Posted by on June 18, 2024 under Articles
What makes the Partnership different is our shared values as co-owners and our purpose to building a Happier World. Sharing their stories, Kirstie, Seb and Meeta tell us what it means to be a Partner and how they have developed in their roles.
I joined the Partnership Five years ago after working for a PLC for twenty years. I always admired the Waitrose brand and was so excited to join. I became the Forum rep two years ago and fully embraced the role, the fact that open and honest conversations were encouraged at all levels between all Partners completely blew my mind but I still had so much to learn about what it means to be a true partner and how it’s important not to just turn up everyday but really show up!
“Two years on and I am one of two Partnership Councillors representing 18 branches in my region, a Duty Partner and a Team Leader looking after the Partner lifecycle and Democracy is embedded in everything I do.”
Being able to talk frankly with our Director James Bailey about how our partners are feeling, sharing best practices and just feeling seen by the people that lead our business is so very important and in return I give my job 100% and am grateful for the opportunities that have come my way in such a short time already. Kindness is a strong thread that runs through JLP and I feel that consistently from the people around me which is why I will probably never want to leave!
I started my career with the Partnership at the end of 2016 at the Heathrow branch. This was a small cosy store on the airside. In 2018, I got the opportunity to take up a new challenging role with the new store opening in White City. I took this up as I was longing to work in a bigger, busier, full-line shop. I was in the department of Fabrics and furnishings, a whole new world for me and I had no prior knowledge.This entailed more detailed and specific work and it was more service orientated as it was a much larger department.
“Due to my passion for helping others and willingness to learn new things, I am able to thrive here.”
Again, due to my passion and interest in spirituality, I am currently a Wellness champion in my store and a committee member of the Faith & Belief community. In 2021 and 2022, I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Diwali celebrations and be mentioned in the Gazette, along with a recipe video with Daniel Blackburn. I enjoyed showcasing to Partners how I celebrate Diwali, which was featured on the website.
I joined John Lewis after my A- levels and was happy to travel around the country working in different branches as I furthered my career. After many enjoyable years I was delighted to achieve my ambition of leading my own shop.
“A few years ago, my family started to grow with the birth of my second child, I was able to make the most of the Partnership’s Equal Parenthood Leave policy.”
Our Equal Parenthood leave policy allowed me to have 14-weeks to be with my family! I knew that the policy was there, but honestly, I wasn’t sure that it would apply to my role. My manager was fully supportive and encouraged me to take it without feeling any ‘guilt’ while I was away being a Dad.
“I’ll always be grateful to John Lewis for that time. It made me even prouder to be a Partner than I already was.”
At the John Lewis Partnership, we want every one of our Partners (employees) to find their happier way of working, like Kirsty, Meeta and Sebastian. Find out more about our purpose and the incredible benefits of being a Partner in the Partnership by exploring our careers website JLPjobs.com.
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