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It was more than idle curiosity that made me take a closer look at this year's Sunday Times UK's Best Big Company to Work For survey, published only last month. I wasn't really surprised to see Boots in the list, as they have figured before in this survey, and this year the high street giant came in at 19th, arguably a noteworthy achievement in itself when you consider that they are the largest employer in the top 25. What really caught my eye of course, and probably yours, is that Boots Opticians was voted No.1 in the list, topping the table for the first time ever. The Sunday Times conducts this comprehensive survey each year, to find out how people really feel about their employer, and I now understand that it is recognised as a worthwhile and thought-provoking guide to overall workplace satisfaction. So I suppose we should really treat the results with some degree of respect. The research looks at many "standard" employment factors, including pay, benefits, and contract flexibility, but it also considers other issues that are often just as important. These include the range of career development opportunities, and how employers help their staff to achieve a positive, enriching and sustainable work-life balance. After all, this is what we all want, isn't it?
The 2011 survey concluded that the workers and teams at Boots Opticians benefited from a very motivating work environment, with their staff believing that they can make a valuable contribution to the firm's success. It also highlighted that this internal culture is supported by a "strong teamwork ethic" and a relatively stress-free working day pattern. What makes this recognition particularly interesting is that it has been gained so quickly after the merger with D&A. I would have thought that the task of seamlessly absorbing a previous competitor as a new partner is challenging enough. Boots seem to have not only pulled this off, but somehow used it to strengthen their internal teams and levels of motivation. Not a bad trick if you can pull it off, as they seem to have done. So if a "Big Company" like Boots can achieve this, why can't other firms? This led me to explore the reasons that may underpin their success, and I think I may have found the magic ingredient. Although they have over 5,000 permanent employees, spread across clinical and optical staff, retail staff, and management, Boots Opticians seems to be singularly focused on the central mantra of customer care and service that has its origins in the parent group. They have stated their mission as being "No1 for Customer Care", which is presented as a critical step in their larger aim to "become the world's best opticians". So my guess is that through this shared commitment, the teams at Boots Opticians have been able to sideline many of the internal politics and commercial imperatives that seem to preoccupy other large organisations. It is as though, by serving their customers better, they may have found the best way to serve their workers better as well. Can it really be this simple? I don't doubt there is much more to this than my brief analysis may suggest, but as I say, it's an impressive achievement, so it's well worth your effort to try and discover their trade secrets.
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