 Memos are banned, you receive no e-mails, there are company holiday homes and you can borrow some money if you get into a tight spot financially. If this sounds like your dream job then hot-foot it to sign up for one of the six vacancies retail business Timpson currently has to fill.
But drongos (after a 1920s Australian racehorse which came last in all 37 races it was entered for) need not apply, as James Timpson, managing director of this 630 outlet, family-run “shoe repair to Angelsey pub” business made very clear in a punchy, no-holds-barred case study on the first day of conference.
“At Timpson our culture is vitally important and that means only the best will do,” he said. “Our recruitment process pays careful attention to the personalities we bring in but after 16 weeks if you're not shaping up we'll act swiftly. There are only two types of colleague in our business - those we want and those we don't. And we don't want drongos.”
But for those who make the grade there are training schemes, weekly bonus schemes, financial and welfare benefits, social events and the freedom to work in the way you want.
“There are no rules. We don’t tell people what to do. We believe that the people who serve the customers should be allowed to do their own thing. If someone wants to paint their shop pink I’ll let ’em…if their turnover goes up we’ll paint them all pink,” claims an ebullient James.
There are also numerous benefits to the company of the open style they call Upside Down Management, with James citing a high turnover, a respectable run in the top five of the Sunday Times Best Companies To Work For list and at 11.4%; “the lowest staff turnover of any retailer we know.”
To a challenge from a delegate that Timpson’s “whack the problem” policy might encourage bullying of weaker staff, James was quick to report that there had been no tribunals for two years.
Communications tools are few, focused and mainly visual…“for our Sun, Star, Mirror, and Sport-reading staff it makes sense.” As well as an annual Who’s Who of all staff, a weekly “celebrate success” newsletter is sent to everyone. James also sets great store by feedback with mechanisms such as “Tell me straight James” giving staff swift replies to any questions they may have and he has a personal tally of over 400 visits to different shops nationwide in the last ten months.
“But at the end of the day we have only two questions,” he concluded, “are our colleagues happy and are they taking more money than last year?” Which might explain the 150 plus waiting list for those vacancies.
Written by Helena Rhodes
Communications consultant, corporate writer/editor
helena.rhodes@btinternet.com
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