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+‘You Can’ gives Lyn a second chance
Lyn O’Dwyer is a 53-year-old, lone parent with four children and had not been in paid employment for 24 years before starting in our Purley Way store. With her youngest child turning 15, she felt the time was right to get back into the workplace. “I was getting bored. My children are now self-sufficient and are starting their lives. It’s about time I have a second shot and start doing something for myself.”
Lyn felt that retail would be a good place to start as she had worked in supermarkets in the past, but her length of time out of the workplace was proving to be a barrier. Lyn’s Jobcentre Plus Advisor told her that Sainsbury’s was recruiting and she was attracted by the possibility of working at night as it would give her the chance to balance work with her family needs. At the end of the selection process Lyn was offered a three-night work trial. “After that, that was it. I got my 30 hours a week. It was brilliant.”
She feels that there are two key reasons why she was successful in her application: “her complete flexibility with hours and her friendly personality”. Lyn says that she loves her new job and would like to work for Sainsbury’s until she retires.
+Sainsbury’s Bakery College
We launched this in March 2010 in partnership with the flour supplier, Whitworth, based at their flour mill. We are confident that the outstanding facilities, technical skills programme and individual one to one coaching will halve the time it takes for our new bakers, bakery managers and apprentices to complete a first rate training.
“The scheme was great, I learnt a great deal and it improved my confidence, as well as my professional reputation with customers. I can give much better service to my customers, can answer all their questions, even details about what ingredients go into products and give advice on what is suitable for various diets or medical conditions.”
“The bakery college and apprenticeship scheme is a great area to get involved in; you learn so many different skills and develop the ability to apply that knowledge.”
+Annual Colleague Conference
We use our annual conference to communicate a full business update to colleagues and inspire them about our future plans. In the past, this was a manager-only event, which meant we were missing the chance to really engage with the people who serve our customers every day and are our greatest brand ambassadors. In 2009 colleagues outnumbered managers at the conference by two to one. We also know how important it is to feel valued and the conference is an ideal venue to celebrate success and acknowledge a job well done. Our annual 'Stars Awards' recognise colleagues from across the business who have gone the extra mile and throughout the year our managers can present Shining Star Awards to people on their teams.
