Balancing work and study isn’t always easy, but my People Managers and the Partnership have been brilliant. They truly advocate for my continuous development, ensuring I have the dedicated off-the-job time to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

If you’re looking for an organisation that invests in your future, the Partnership is exactly that.

Democratic Vitality

You might be wondering what ‘Democratic Vitality’ is.  Its part of our purpose and it’s how we share knowledge and power with Partners and, crucially, listen to their opinion and make sure it shapes and influences the Partnership through both our formal democracy and in every day conversations across the business.  It’s what we mean when we say we’re co-owned.  My role is to make sure Partners feel safe and supported in sharing their honest opinions and suggestions and that our senior leaders know what Partners are talking about. 

Partnership Benefits

We have such brilliant benefits that I’ve used such as ticket subsidy (money off concerts for example) or leisure learning (money off taking an art class….but I’m still no good) but being a Partner isn’t just about what you get, it’s about what you give.  You’re a co-owner and you’re encouraged and supported to think about ways the business can improve and do better whether that’s for our customers, our Partners and/or our communities. 

Why the Partnership?

Being a People Manager is a big responsibility and a huge privilege. It has felt daunting at times but there is no better or rewarding feeling that seeing people grow and succeed in their role.  I have always been supported with development programmes and access to mentors and professional coaching as I’ve progressed my career.  You are never on your own!

I’d recommend the Partnership as a great place to work because you really do get out what you put in.  If you’re hard working, committed, caring and flexible then you will absolutely find a fulfilling job and career in the Partnership, just like I have! 

Ruth’s Story

I am currently a Talent Acquisition Consultant recruiting for our John Lewis Head Office roles. I was actually TUPED’d into the Partnership from a small start up called Opun in the summer of 2018. Initially, we were not part of the Talent Acquisition team but I was responsible for the full recruitment process including on-boarding of our Trade Partners. After the pandemic, I decided to reach out internally and secured a role within the Talent Acquisition team to continue my career in the Partnership.

Something people would probably not know about me is that I used to play the Alto Saxophone and Tenor Steel Pan. I also have a background in dance and used to work in TV production. I have almost 11-years recruitment experience and prior to that, 9-years as a betting shop manager.

I volunteered for the careers site photoshoot because I already feel like somewhat of a brand ambassador in my role. I speak to candidates daily, seeing them through the process into becoming Partners. I was a mixture of excited and nervous; it was my very 1st professional photo shoot but the team were great! Really engaging and fun! I would highly recommend all Partners do something a little out of your comfort zone that may be a bit scary, be it signing up to a new hobby club via PartnerChoice (our benefits platform) or even volunteering when photoshoot models are needed!

Tom’s Story

I joined the Partnership because I am passionate about giving outstanding customer service and making customers happy, which I knew the Partnership really values! I also wanted the 25% discount on clothes that was a pretty important benefit to me at 17! I’ve now worked for the Partnership for over 16 years (across two stints) and I’ve had a blast so far!

Back in 2004, lots of my school friends were already working at my local John Lewis branch at Cribbs Causeway and always said it was a great place to work, so I wanted in too! I ended up applying at a pop-up careers fair, and it wasn’t long until I got invited to a group assessment and received a job offer – part-time in the Sport and Menswear Department.

Aside from the discount, I have made so many great memories, friends and new skills through the subsidised Partnership Clubs. Such as the Surf Club where I’ve travelled within the UK and Europe learning to surf. The clubs have enabled me to experience things that I might not have otherwise, like a weekend with the wine club visiting the Champagne region of France, and have built my personal confidence on the way too!

My family and I (my wife is a Partner too. We met and worked together when John Lewis Poole opened) often stayed at one of the many Partnership Hotels. Our most favourite being a summer stay at Brownsea Castle (Island). Staying in a castle on a tiny island is just amazing! We also really enjoy staying at the Leckford Abbas and Lodges too! All of which are heavily subsidised by the Partnership.

My Partnership experience has been as varied as it has been delightful, I started in John Lewis Cribbs Causeway, worked in John Lewis Financial Services (now Money), held a role in the John Lewis People team and during Covid was a night shift Partner in Waitrose Chichester. I’m most recently working within our Procurement Team ,coming up to five years now!

Initially, when I joined the Partnership, I thought I’d only stay for a few years and then head off to Cardiff University. That plan quickly changed! I really enjoyed the learning opportunities and clear career paths at John Lewis Partnership. I have continued to drive a successful and fulfilling career! It’s been 16 years now.

I took part in the Partner Difference photoshoot because I thought it would be a fun and different day out! Truthfully, it was a little bit outside of my comfort zone but I’m passionate about inclusivity and was pleased to have the opportunity to role model to others that the Partnership is an inclusive and great place to work.

I joined the Partnership 10-years ago (almost to the day!) as a Buying Assistant – it was my second job after Uni and my first foray into homewares. Growing up, it was always known as an iconic, successful and big time brand so getting a job here felt like a major success and I was the talk of my peers who were all job hunting at the same time.

I’ve worked my way up and learnt everything I know from John Lewis and the amazing teams I’ve worked within and the managers I’ve had – starting in Tabletop to now being in Textiles, there has been a whole load of product and brands in between that has taught me so much about buying, my working style and how we make so many different products.

I always felt new in comparison to the other Partners who had worked here for over 10 years and now I’m one of them – I can’t believe how quickly it’s gone but I do feel at home in John Lewis in a way I never quite expected.

What else I love about working here? The variety of products and the opportunities that offers, as well as the quality and ethics that are central to our sourcing & design. The flexibility I have – I work compressed hours which isn’t always possible within buying and it’s a huge benefit for my work/life balance! And then finally the discount obviously!

I agreed to be involved in the photoshoot as I thought it would be fun – like I said, I have a lot of fun at John Lewis and this was no different – it was another great way to meet so many fun and fab people across the Partnership, so I loved it!

Liv’s Story

Hi I’m Liv I joined the Partnership 4-years ago as a Supermarket Assistant in my local Waitrose!
I have some amazing memories from my time in branch and learnt some really great skills that have helped me in my role today.

I started managing the branch’s TikTok platform with another Partner which quickly grew a large following. The other social media champions left our branch and so I became the account manager for both Instagram and TikTok.

This was a challenge alongside my other daily tasks but I loved it so much and put a lot of time and effort into making the accounts successful.

I then worked on various different campaign materials with head office as well as supplier content and landed a role in Head Office with the #TeamWaitrose social media team! This was definitely a pinch me moment and felt so rewarding after all of the work I had put into the branch’s content.

My current role was sent to me by my manager as my contract was coming to an end. This was a brilliant opportunity to work in Talent Acquisition where I am currently loving building up our social media presence on @JLPjobs platforms, giving our Partners a voice and advocating for our business!

At the John Lewis Partnership, we want all of our Partners (employees) to find happier ways of working. Find out more about our commitment to our Partners, their careers and the incredible benefits of being a Partner in the Partnership by exploring the rest of our careers website.

Georgia’s Story

Hi, I’m Georgia I began my career in the Partnership about seven years ago at John Lewis Reading, where I worked as a Merchandiser at the time.

After spending around a year and a half in that position, I transitioned to head office as an online merchandiser for Waitrose.com and the Florist. I then came across my current role and immediately saw it as an opportunity to pursue my passion for marketing. I had been applying for marketing roles for a while without success until then.

I’m incredibly grateful to my wonderful managers, who took me under their wing and gave me the support I needed to get started. When I first joined the social team, I focused on influencers and advocacy. It didn’t take long for me to realise how much I enjoyed the advocacy side of my role. Together with my team, we decided to accelerate the Waitrose advocacy programme by launching social media accounts for all of our branches. This is how the #TeamWaitrose programme was born.

Over the years, we’ve launched social media accounts for over 250 branches, with many having both Instagram and TikTok accounts bringing us to nearly 400 accounts in total! These branches have generated over 50 million organic views, gained nearly 300,000 followers, and, most importantly, helped foster a vibrant new community for Waitrose on social media.

A major focus for us this year has been featuring our Partners in content. We’ve had them on our TikTok daily, in emails, and even in our S-Club videos. It’s been amazing to see our Partners getting recognised in public.

Recently, I was promoted to Marketing Manager – a dream come true! I’m beyond excited for the future of #TeamWaitrose and can’t wait to see where it will take me next. I have big plans and even bigger ambitions to keep growing the project so watch this space, it’s only going to get bigger and better!

If you want to see what #TeamWaitrose is all about, follow the hashtag or search for your local branch on Instagram or TikTok.

At the John Lewis Partnership, we want all of our Partners (employees) to find happier ways of working. Find out more about our commitment to our Partners, their careers and the incredible benefits of being a Partner in the Partnership by exploring the rest of our careers website.