Pros
It would certainly seem that we are treated better than employees of other supermarkets. Management seems strongly encouraged to earn the respect of their team as opposed to ruling with an iron fist. Some of your friends and family will think you work somewhere really posh and privileged.
Cons
The benefits of the partnership seem to largely exist as a method of enticing customers who feel they're supporting an ethical store as opposed to adhering to their much touted 'Principle 1'. It is frustrating reading the head of John Lewis demand that more companies need to pay a living wage whilst a conversation repeats eternally in the Letters section of the company newsletter in which frustrated workers ask why this statement does not apply to Waitrose staff. Replies vary from a statement dismissing the living wage as the kind of policy which is right to Waitrose, flat out denial that any questions were actually asked (followed by a restatement of why they are right and anyone else is wrong) and even instructions that unhappy 'partners' "should go and work at Tesco or Aldi." The 'Bonus' rings hollow when it only brings you up to what those in other supermarkets already earn, and feels more like a way to trap you into working there until it is awarded. Once you have had a few visits from upper management and/or have an up and coming manager transferred to your store you will soon start to notice that they all seem to share a very specific accent. The much touted democratic approach to how the business is ran also rings somewhat hollow when you discover the board of directors control half the seats and so have the power to veto any proposal, limiting any real possibility for real change and benefits to those on the bottom of the food chain. There is also a whole host of cost-cutting schemes at work which are of dubious benefit to the workers (I mean partners), such as cutting 4 hour shifts to 3hr 45, meaning they can pay less and not give them a break. Or only offering very exact and irregular working hours, in order to have them work a full day without having to allow them a lunch break. Since I have started working there it seems that the terms at which partners are hired have increasingly been tipped in the companies favour. Not to mention that whilst our higher-ups will boast in national newspapers and internal comms that we are showing market-beating profits, we see very little in the way of recompense and are constantly reminded that we are missing targets and of the need to boost sales, cut costs and increase productivity. All without hiring extra staff. In short, despite my criticisms I would recommend this as a place to work, but be aware that it is a truly corporate entity, masquerading as a workers co-op.
