Arena Magazine 2005 Issue 6 November December

Usdaw provides the real motivation for M&S staff

Saint Michael, the patron saint of grocers, and a couple of specially commissioned ‘Ad Vans’ were called up to promote Usdaw’s campaign for recognition at M&S.

Meanwhile, the company hired USA retail guru and motivator Mary Gober to spread her 'customer service' message to many of the 56,000 staff in numerous meetings at the NEC in Birmingham last month.

Usdaw was there too to provide the common sense approach to employee relations.

Dancing in the aisles is not something you normally expect to see shopworkers indulging in, but this was encouraged as part of the day-long motivational sessions for M&S staff estimated by Usdaw to cost around £10 million.

It was an opportunity which Usdaw was determined to exploit and show the workforce that there is an alternative. A team of officials handed out leaflets at the venue before they were escorted off the premises by security staff. A latterday Saint Michael, armed with the shield of justice, demanded staff have an independent voice. He was complimented by two 'Ad vans' which circulated the NEC - similarly calling for recognition for Usdaw.

"Saint Michael was the brand of Marks and Spencer before they hit their recent troubles so we thought he would be perfect to talk to staff," said general secretary John Hannett. "It may be a light-hearted approach, but it carries a very serious message - M&S workers need an independent voice within the company.

"M&S are refusing to even talk to us, but we want to work with the company to help them address their continuing decline in much the same way we work with some of their high street rivals to successfully build their businesses.

"Usdaw isn't going away and we're determined to reach out to workers who may not have heard our message. The vans have had a great response from the people who were bussed in and I'm confident we'll get many more members after they see our message.

"The reality is that M&S staff say they have no voice. We believe our experience in retail will help make sure the company restores the decent conditions that created such magnificent staff loyalty and underpinned the success of Marks and Spencer."

Here's one account you won't have read about in the press. It comes from an Usdaw member, who prefers to remain anonymous.

The most telling and remarkable moment for me was when one member of staff walked up to the stage and said, without a mike, that M&S staff knew exactly what was needed but there wasn't enough staff in the stores to deliver the kind of customer service Mary Gober was demanding.

When this rippled through the audience everyone in the hall gave that employee a standing ovation and she wasn't paid millions to deliver this simple but true message! It was a great sight to see more than 4,500 people applauding her. Not surprisingly you didn't see any of that reported in the press.

Make no mistake Mary Gober is very good at what she does, but she didn't tell us anything we didn't know already.

She covered ground which I and my colleagues have come across many times on M&S in-house training courses. Yes Mary Gober had all the razzmatazz and after you've spent all that money you'd expect it!

The day itself was enjoyable but it was dragged out too long and the almost evangelical feel made one of my colleagues call it 'brain-washing'.

Once we left the 'motivational session' we were left to reflect on how M&S have cut the terms and conditions of thousands of staff on premium payments and unsocial payments. Most of the people I talked to thought the money could have been better spent on restoring some of these to the over-stretched and demoralised staff.

The company could do a lot worse than listen to its staff rather than pay millions for motivational Mary!

Were you at the NEC motivational fest? Let Arena know what you thought of it all on 0161 249 2444/5 or e-mail arena@usdaw.org.uk

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