Fresh News May 2015

Best before end of:

MAY 2015

Flexible benefits p16

The magazine for Morrisons colleagues

e m o h g n i Bring National award for Café breakfasts

THE

baCON P5

LISTENING HARD • Seasonal products • FACEBOOK and MUCH MORE...

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If you only take away five things from Fresh News this month...

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MORE COLLEAGUE BENEFITS

This month, we’re introducing a host of flexible benefits that can help you to save money when buying a mobile phone contract, a bike, or even computers.

Read more on p16 & 17

FOR MAY

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LISTENING HARD

Almost 85,000 colleagues completed this year’s Climate Survey, and there were nearly 275,000 individual responses to the six free-text questions set by David Potts. Your answers will help us to make Morrisons a better place to work.

GET FIT FOR 15 We’ve launched a new website to help you get into shape for summer. Fit for 15 is especially for colleagues who want to increase their physical activity, or set health goals, and even take on individual or team challenges.

Read more on p15

Read more on p12 & 13

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COLLEAGUE FACEBOOK

The Morrisons Colleague Facebook Group is bringing people together from all over the business. It’s a great way to share best practice and now there are even more ways to get involved, including special events for different parts of the business.

SEASON’S BEST

Making the most of seasonal products and national events can help to drive customers into stores and increase sales. To help customers get their garden ready for summer, we’ve got an industryleading offer on summer bedding plants.

Read more on p4

Read more on p18 & 19

GET IN TOUCH

Here’s how you can contact us:

Save a stamp and post internally to Company Communications.

Our external postal address is Fresh News, Hilmore House, Gain Lane, Bradford BD3 7DL may2015

Email your stories and pictures to company.communications @morrisonsplc.co.uk

See at a glance how each feature and story either supports colleagues, helps to drive sales & savings, or serves our customers.

COLLEAGUES

SALES & Savings

CUSTOMERS

PEOPLE CHANGES

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In the

mag

4 News

8 Manufacturing 10 Logistics 12 Listening Hard 14 Easter Round-up 15 Get Fit for ‘15 16 More Colleague Benefits 18 Morrisons Colleague Facebook Group 20 Giving Something Back 22 The Social

People changes P14

...to everyone who helped put Fresh News together this month, and to our advertisers who help us keep our production costs as low as possible.

Fresh News is produced

by Morrisons Company Communications with design by scarlettabbott – 01904 633399 scarlettabbott.co.uk

Last month, we announced that we will recruit 5,000 new staff for in-store roles and started a consultation process to simplify Head Office.

e are reshaping the way that our business is staffed, investing in new store jobs to deliver better customer service, while also proposing a reduction in Head Office jobs.

In stores, we have begun recruiting 5,000 shop floor staff to further improve service, increase availability, and open more checkouts.

David Potts said: “We are focusing on the things that matter to our customers. That means having more of our staff in our stores, improving product availability and helping customers at our checkouts. We believe our

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customers and our colleagues will appreciate the improvements.

“To support this, we need a simpler, faster and costconscious Head Office and that requires some tough, but necessary decisions.”

The proposals would lead to a reduction of up to 720 roles at Morrisons Head Office.

Colleagues whose roles are being made redundant will be given the option of a role in store and some will be redeployed in other parts of the business.

There will also be opportunities for voluntary redundancy.

The consultation will last for at least 45 days. may2015

NEWS

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The latest news from right around our business.

Seasonal

sales

Making the most of seasonal products and national events can help to drive customers into stores and increase sales. e’re focusing on barbecues and everything British to help our customers make the most of the summer months. In store, we’ll be shouting about our fresh, locally sourced produce and meat, and focusing on the things that customers want.

As the gardening season gets into full swing, this month we’re promoting our summer bedding plants.

“Thanks to our in-store Garden Centres we’re market leaders in this area. Last year we sold more than 30 million summer bedding plants. As the vast majority are UK grown, we know that we’re offering

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THE

C A L L I NG may2015

excellent quality as well as fantastic value for our customers,” says Thomas Woodhouse, Horticultural Buyer.

To help promote our summer bedding plants, we’ve got an industry-leading offer.

Plants are available from £1, with a ‘2 for £3’ offer on selected £2 plants to attract customers into stores.

Meeting our customers’ needs We’re also supporting national events such as this month’s Coeliac Awareness Week. Coeliac disease affects one in 100 people making them intolerant to gluten, which is why we’re highlighting our Free From range.

“More customers are following a gluten-free diet and buying Free From products for both dietary and lifestyle reasons. We’ve recently increased the space we dedicate to Free From products to give customers more choice and encourage them to do their entire shop with us,” says Stefanie Downey, Buyer.

To encourage more shoppers to try new or additional Free From products, we’re offering extra Match & More points on selected products. There’s also a special gluten-free focused issue of ‘Morrisons Magazine’ online, out now complete with recipes featuring our own brand Free From range. View or download the magazine from morrisonsmag.co.uk on any internet-enabled device.

Your seasonal sales

TAKEAWAY

Focusing on our British seasonal products and supporting national events offers a huge opportunity to attract customers into our stores and drive sales.

NEWS

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Morrisons Cafés are the toast of the town Our cafés have been voted as having the nation’s best breakfast by the Menu Innovation and Development Awards.

Our breakfasts, which feature fresh ingredients including British sausages and bacon sourced from Market Street, clearly hit the spot. A team of mystery diners judged us top for menu choice, value for money

and service – ahead of competition from other well-known high street restaurants and cafés.

Our award-winning cafés not only encourage customers to spend more time in store, but also showcase many fresh ingredients available from Market Street.

Cutting-edge promotion The Sambonet knife collector scheme, which gives customers the opportunity to collect and redeem stickers for professional knives, is proving popular with customers. In the first seven weeks of the campaign, almost 900,000 rewards were redeemed by customers.

The promotion is a great way to build customer loyalty and encourage new customers to shop with us. We’ve also seen stores really get behind the promotion with some displays that capture the attention of our customers.

If you’re working on the checkouts, remember to ask customers if they’re collecting the stickers, which will be available until 24 May. Customers have until 7 June to redeem the stickers for Sambonet products.

Collector schemes help drive more customers into store, encouraging and rewarding shopper loyalty.

WIN!

a full Sambonet KNIFE set

We’re giving all colleagues the chance to win one of 10 sets of Sambonet kitchen knives, including chopping board, scissors, sharpening steel and knife block.

To enter the free prize draw, email your name, store and contact details to company.communications@ morrisonsplc.co.uk The competition closes on Sunday 31 May 2015. The 10 winners will be chosen at random and contacted in June.*

*Terms and conditions apply, please see the intranet or speak to your manager for details.

may2015

NEWS

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Listening to your views Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete this year’s Climate Survey.

Almost 85,000 of you answered the 38 questions – that’s a massive 73% response rate.

Your answers help us to see what we’re doing right and what we need to do better.

While there were some encouraging signs, with a 1% increase in people who said ‘I enjoy working here’, there was an overall fall in the Colleague Engagement Index, which measures how people really feel about life at Morrisons. The information will be used to help set our priorities for the coming year.

We also received almost 275,000 individual responses to the six free-text questions.

These have all been read and have provided a real insight into how you feel about the business.

Turn to pages 12 and 13 to read about what you said, and what we are doing.

We’re listening hard to your views and taking action to make Morrisons better.

Retail Shining Stars Congratulations to this month’s Retail Shining Stars.

North Joanne Helliwell, Butcher, Halifax Joanne really takes customer service to the next level. She looks up new recipes for regular customers each week, makes sure the counter always looks great and gives everyone a warm welcome. Recently she’s taken on the added responsibility of training four new part-time colleagues.

When a colleague from Fresh to Go called in sick for the late shift, Poppy offered to stay late and close down the counter. Poppy is a cheerful, hardworking team member, who has also volunteered to help out in the Cake Shop to cover holidays and shifts in recent months.

Central Gemma Avery, Duty Manager, Cambourne Thanks to Gemma’s management and exceptional service, Cambourne store hosted a wedding in store (see page 7).

The happy couple and many customers commented on how organised the store was and what great service they received.

South West Lee Thomas, Store Manager, Rogerstone When a young child started choking, Lee took control.

While continuing to reassure the father, he revived the little girl and called 999. When the ambulance came he arranged for the girl’s mother to be collected. Despite his life-saving actions, Lee went straight back to work.

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Frontier Poppy Hill, Availability Champion Team, Aldershot

South East Café team, Erith The team always looked out for and helped an elderly customer who came for brunch every day. Following his death, the team received a letter from the man’s family saying: “The kindness of your staff towards Dennis has been amazing and we truly thank you for this.”

NEWS

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Customers

Now that’s what I call muesli

& colleagues By listening to customers and colleagues, we’re making real improvements to our customers’ shopping experience and the communities we serve.

Tills death us do part Cambourne colleagues pulled out all the stops to give a local couple, Rebecca Wooller and Blake Green, the wedding of their dreams – in the store café!

The pair’s first date was chicken curry at Cambourne’s café. So, when they decided to tie the knot, it was their first choice of wedding venue.

The store team helped to organise the day, including FlowerWorld bouquets and a wedding cake made by Duty Manager Gemma Avery.

As well as guests and surprised shoppers, the big day was also attended by TV crews and photographers from national and local newspapers, who reported on just how far we’ll go to make our customers happy.

Cambourne received national media attention for supporting their customers, spreading a positive message to shoppers across the country about Morrisons.

We’ve introduced nearly 9,000 extra tracks to our in-store playlist as a result of colleague feedback.

“Our store teams told us that their music was getting a little repetitive,” says David Potts. “We wanted to listen and make shopping and working with Morrisons an even better experience.”

The new compilation, which was introduced in time for Easter, has been designed to have something for everyone, including hits by Jack Johnson, John Legend, Beyoncé.

The Cure, Morcheeba, U2 and Texas.

Creating a better experience in our stores makes them better places to work and shop for colleagues and our customers.

Saltney makeover We’ve recently revamped our Saltney supermarket in response to local customer feedback. We’ve added a brand new pharmacy to the high-street store, as well as an extended greengrocer, new Nutmeg section, and revamped layout to make it easier for customers to shop.

“Our customers have told us that this pharmacy is a welcome and important addition to our community,” says Sally Lloyd, Pharmacy Manager.

By listening to customer feedback, we can give local people the products and services they need. It’s helping to drive more customers into our stores. may2015

MANUFACTURING

The latest developments from across our Manufacturing sites.

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Licensed

to grade Quality and freshness is important to our customers when it comes to produce. Creating licensed fruit graders is helping us to improve on our existing high standards. lmost 400 front line colleagues have received training to become licensed fruit graders. This gives them the authority and experience to take decisions that improve the quality of produce leaving our sites.

The Fruit Grading project follows the success of the Vegetable Grading project introduced earlier this year, which significantly improved quality standards in this area.

“Colleagues have always been focused on quality, but now they have the training and confidence to be even more critical.

By applying the ‘would I buy it?’ test to all products leaving sites, we’re really improving consistency and quality,” says Phil Cummings, Head of Produce Manufacturing.

To date, training has taken place for

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citrus fruits, such as oranges and lemons, top fruit, including apples and pears, and stone fruits, such as peaches and plums.

Sites and customers are already enjoying the benefits.

“We’ve seen an increase in colleagues alerting Quality Control, resulting in substandard products being rejected and sent back to suppliers. Feedback from stores has been very positive, with sites receiving fewer complaints. Cutler Heights alone has experienced a 30% reduction in customer complaints for citrus products,” adds Phil.

Stores and customers can expect to see quality levels improve even further as another 400 colleagues will be trained in the coming weeks. This includes colleagues working on salads, pricing, and the remaining vegetable lines.

One of our fruit grad

ers at work

Focusing on quality, right across the business, ensures our customers get to choose from the very best produce in our stores.

MANUFACTURING

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Leading the way in customer-focused manufacturing Manufacturing colleagues are learning to work Smarter & Simpler at the Deeside Lean Centre of Excellence. The first 18 colleagues, from sites throughout the UK, have completed the intensive, two-week Lean Leadership programme.

As well as practical learning, colleagues also had the

opportunity to apply their new skills in the working situation.

“Lean manufacturing is about focusing on the needs of the customer and giving them exactly what they want,” says Michael Given, Head of Business Improvement Manufacturing.

“During the programme colleagues learn to challenge their current processes and ways of working, and determine if there’s a more efficient or effective way of getting the job done,” he adds.

Anyone who completes the programme is expected to implement a lean improvement project within three months, which will lead to measurable

Last month’s

shining stars business improvements and benefits.

Andy Day, Operations Manager, Thrapston, who took part in the programme, says: “I’ve already fed back a number of suggestions on the things we could do at Thrapston.”

A further 72 managers are expected to complete the Lean Leadership programme by the end of July.

Investing in our colleagues and giving them the skills to work Smarter & Simpler will lead to long-term business benefits for the company.

Sailing ahead with second seafood site This month, project teams and colleagues from Finance will officially move into our new Grimsby 2 seafood processing centre. The site, our second in the town, is planning to start its phased opening in August.

“As well as providing new jobs for local people, Grimsby 2 will increase our capacity and allow us to meet the rising demand in stores for quality fresh fish.

There will also be a bigger range, giving customers more choice,” says Nick Brierley, Project Manager, Manufacturing.

The state-of-the-art centre will have the facility to pick and despatch products in-house, making sure the fish is as fresh as possible by reducing the time it takes from catch to counter.

New packaging will also increase the quality of our products, by extending shelf life and keeping our fish fresher for longer.

It’s good news for our existing Grimsby site, which will have more space to expand its popular lines including white fish and salmon.

Investment in our second Grimsby seafood processing centre will give our customers an even better choice of quality fresh fish in stores.

Congratulations to our recent Manufacturing Shine winners.

Dawid Mlynarczyk, Warehouse Operative, Turriff During a recent promotion, Dawid stayed longer each day to make sure that we continued to meet the high service levels for Farmers Boy and Winsford. He was also responsible for managing accurate stock counts.

Somkhit Knowles, Potato Department Operative, Rushden While completing checks, Somkhit recognised that there was a sealing issue with a particular product. She stopped the line and informed Quality Control, which prevented the problem from becoming a quality issue.

Jan Kislan, Production Line Leader, Winsford Jan has improved the configuration of the packing station line by creating a gap which allows any overspill to drop into a machine catch tray.

This has added more control to the weigh station and helped to reduce floor waste.

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LOGISTICS Bringing you the latest news from our Logistics and Supply Chain colleagues.

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Logistics are working closely with stores to make sure that they can react more effectively to sudden increases in demand.

Balancing act ogistics deliver around 15,000 pallets of Ambient products to stores every day. As store orders can change due to external or local influences, such as the weather, Logistics depots can suddenly be faced with significantly more products to deliver to a particular store.

Standard-sized lorries can only take 26 pallets. If a store has an unexpectedly large order however, there may be too many pallets for the planned delivery vehicle.

The additional pallets, which sometimes have to be delivered the next day,

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are known as ‘balance pallets’.

“We recognised that if a store doesn’t receive its full stock order, it can lead to availability problems for customers.

In recent months we’ve worked hard to address this,” says Scott Roberts, Head of Operations (North).

“By talking to stores, explaining the situation, finding out what’s really important to them and working together, we’ve significantly reduced the number of balance pallets.

Where possible, we’ve also

used the overnight fresh food delivery vehicles to despatch the additional pallets,” adds Scott.

This new approach has seen big improvements already. The number of balance pallets reduced by more than 700 pallets in the first three weeks alone.

As Scott says: “We deliver around 100,000 pallets of Ambient every week and balance pallets have reduced to around 200 per week. That’s a reduction of more than 75%, with on time and in full grocery deliveries running at 99.92%.”

Availability really matters to our customers, so we’re working really hard across Morrisons to get the right products into the right places, as quickly as possible. may2015

LOGISTICS

GET IN TOUCH via the internal post, email Company Communications or write to us at Hilmore House, Gain Lane, Bradford BD3 7DL

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Last month’s

shining stars Congratulations to our recent Logistics Shine winners.

Ahead of the game Morrisons is sponsoring a new educational board game. Called Business on the Move, players must move goods through the supply chain to make a profit, while monitoring the impact on the environment.

The game is designed to be used as a training tool by businesses and schools.

It’s particularly useful for giving young people an insight into the logistics business, and encouraging them to

consider a career in the industry.

“Business on the Move is like Monopoly in that it can be played by a range of ages.

For older children and adults it can really help to develop business skills,” says Kay Mistry, Human Resources Manager.

“The game has been trialled with students of various ages. It was great to see their reactions.

They really got to grips with negotiating and using

logistics terminology,” Kay adds.

In September, Business on the Move will be introduced into schools and colleges near our Logistics depots.

Creative ways of explaining our business to customers help bring to life how we operate as a company, especially in areas where our Logistics sites are located.

More support for stores To support our store colleagues, members of the Logistics leadership team took part in Team Work.

This involved working a full shift at their local store to help out over the busy Easter period.

Sharan Sandhar, National HR Manager Logistics, signed up to work in Leamington Spa store. She says: “I worked on replenishing the shelves within Health and Beauty, making sure we had good product availability for customers. I also learnt how the current order process works and the importance of stock layout. It was really useful to discover how Logistics affects the daily routine

of store colleagues, and great to see how they all work as a team to service customers and drive store performance.”

Having extra help at busy times of year can really help store colleagues and is a great opportunity to get closer to our customers.

Through Team Work, members of the Logistics leadership team helped store colleagues to deliver a great service to customers over the busy Easter period.

ER6 Champions, Sittingbourne The Champions were key to the successful implementation of the new Oracle Warehouse Management System.

They were responsible for supporting and coaching colleagues and managers, delivering more than 1,600 hours of training on the new system.

Warren Davies, Chill Picker, Wakefield J41 When members of the loading team were on leave, Warren helped to run the loading bank. His knowledge and experience were invaluable during this period.

Jackie Denne, Stock Controller, Gadbrook During a particularly busy day, Jackie volunteered to assist the goods-in department.

Her excellent teamwork prevented any delay in picking.

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LISTENING HARD

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Listening hard We’re listening hard and making real improvements to the business.

ut more colleagues into store and give teams the tools they need to be successful. These are two of the messages that you have given, in your thousands, to David Potts.

And, where possible, we are listening and responding. We’ve already employed an extra 3,000 staff in our stores and

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there are more to come. This will help reduce gaps on shelves, open more checkouts, and improve overall service.

The feedback you’ve given to David’s six questions have now been grouped into eight areas to work on.

You said we need to: • • • • • •

ut more colleague hours into store P Work as a team, and show respect for everyone Put our customers first, giving them what they want Give you the tools to be successful in your job Listen to you, and keep you informed Have a clear picture of where we’re going and what we stand for • Reward fairly • Give everyone a chance to get on

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LISTENING HARD

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Checkout this change Our customers with a small shop (10 items or less) will be able to speed their way through express checkouts, which we’re reintroducing as a result of feedback. The fast service will help keep queues low and improve shopping trips for customers.

We’ll be promoting the return of express checkouts through special adverts in the national press.

Communicating with you David has continued to use videos to speak directly to colleagues.

Following our Easter performance he recorded a short video of thanks and also talked about the issue of store visits from senior managers. Talking about seeing stores as they are, and not set up especially for a visit, David said: “We need to see our stores as you work in them and as our customers shop in them.”

You can see the full video at tinyurl.com/davidposttsapril 17.

And remember, all David’s new videos are posted on the Morrisons Colleague Facebook Group too – see pages 18 and 19 on how to sign up for the site.

Your listening hard

Listening to you A listening team will be visiting stores over the next few months. The team will be gathering views and ideas through colleague and customer listening groups.

They will feed back your views to make real improvements, so please take part and be honest – you will make a difference.

TAKEAWAY Your comments are helping to shape future improvements at Morrisons.

We’re boosting staff numbers in store and reintroducing express checkouts to make our stores better for you to work in and customers to shop in.

A team will be visiting stores to listen to customers and colleagues. Remember to take part and have your say. may2015

EASTER ROUND-UP

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Newport Blackburn

Goose Street

Rochdale

halifax

Easter displays

Ecclesfield

y Tewkesbur

bargoed

ur stores are continuing to push seasonal events hard, O delivering fun and creative displays in order to impress customers and Sell More Stuff. Thanks to everyone who sent their Easter pictures in and shared them on Morrisons Colleague Facebook Group. Here are just a few of the pictures submitted.

Erskine

Anniesland

Arbroath

hartlepool

Chorley

Barnsley

Team Work

Hyde

netherfield

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Well over half of our Head Office colleagues helped stores to deliver great standards and product availability over Easter as part of Team Work. We saw positive feedback from lots of colleagues on Morrisons Colleague Facebook Group and Yammer. Martin Holdsworth from the Technology team wrote: “I did my store support at Ripon today and really enjoyed it. Hopefully took away some good pointers on how to help stores in my day job.”

Meanwhile, Barry Day, Store General Manager at Clacton Waterglade described: “Great Head Office support from Retail Projects keeping our wines and spirits full for Easter customers.”

Weymouth

Easter Displays

TAKEAWAY

Showcasing our great products in creative ways helps catch the eye of customers and drives more sales from our counters.

Fit for 15

Choose to take on your challenges while raising money for Sue Ryder.

Just email Raise.a.smile@ morrisonsplc.co.uk for fundraising tips and advice

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Get According to research*, regular exercise is not only good for you, it’s good for the business.

It can help with:

We’ve launched a brand new online fitness site to help you shape up this summer. activity can lead to it for ‘15 is a new higher productivity. website especially F Head of Occupational for colleagues Health and Wellbeing Robert that’s designed to help you Manson says: “Healthy and increase your physical activity. high performing colleagues Visit morrisons.fitfor15.co.uk, are the most valuable asset which is available until the end of any company and we of July, and start your own know from research that good personal challenge. health is good business.”

As well as all the benefits Robert adds: “Adults should that colleagues aim to complete at least two will enjoy from better health, and a half hours of moderate . studies have activity each week. The Fit for Visit morrisons to ‘15 site will help people of all shown that fitfor15.co.uk art levels of fitness to include physical register and st e your challeng today *Research from the University of Bristol, NHS and Ace Fitness

this in their daily routine.”

Whatever your current fitness level, whether you’re a runner bean or more of a couch potato, you can use the site to get moving and improve your health. Run, walk, jog, skip, swim, cycle or dance your way to success with fun, short and long-term challenges – all tracked through your own personal dashboard.

You can take on challenges on your own, or sign up with your

• M ore consistent performance • B etter time management • A reduced injury rate • L ower risk of major diseases • Improved self-esteem workmates as part of a team. There are also real prizes available to be won – including a special trophy for the team with the most physical activity.

Fit for ‘15

TAKEAWAY

Being healthy reduces absences and can help everyone perform well, which is also great news for our customers. may2015

Flexible Benefits

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Something

FOR EVERYONE! What’s on offer...

Whether you’re paying for childcare, buying a mobile phone or a computer, or looking for dental insurance, our range of new flexible benefits can help you to save money on Income Tax and/or National Insurance.* his month we’re launching a host of flexible benefits that T can help you to make the most of your money. The new benefits work on the same ‘salary sacrifice’ principle as Childcare Vouchers, which are already helping lots of colleagues save up to £910 on childcare costs.

“By signing up you can buy the benefit, whether it’s a mobile phone contract, a bike or childcare, before Income Tax and/or National Insurance is deducted. Depending on the benefit, this can add up to hundreds of pounds in savings,” says Sally-Anne Borrill, Head of Reward.

Start benefiting today There are lots of new benefits launching this month, which are designed to offer something for everyone. To find out more, or to sign up for any of the flexible benefits featured here, log on to mymorrisons.com from Friday 15 May from any internet-enabled computer, tablet or smartphone.

You’ll need your employee ID and personal password to access the site, which you’ll receive in a letter sent to your home address.

You will be asked to enter a contact email address when you register so you can receive information on the benefit(s) you choose. may2015

Act now This year’s annual enrolment window runs from 15 to 31 May. Make sure you choose and confirm your benefits during this time.

Cycle To Work Bike purchase.

Save

up to £320 per year†

Mobile Phone Contract Health Assessment

Save

up to £320 per year†

Save

up to £174 per year† *PLEASE NOTE: Terms and conditions apply to each benefit, visit mymorrisons.com for full details. Due to the link to UK Government rules these benefits are not available in Gibraltar. † even more for higher rate tax payers!

COLLEAGUE BONUS & SHARESAVE

Childcare Vouchers Time is running out to sign up for Childcare Vouchers.

The government scheme closes to new sign-ups this autumn, so remember to register soon to benefit. If you pay for registered childcare, you can swap a certain amount of your salary each month for Childcare Vouchers.

You could save up to £910 per year (basic rate tax payers).

Save National Insurance at 12% for basic rate tax payers and 2% for higher rate tax payers on the following benefits:

Computer Schemes

Dental Insurance

Optical Insurance Partner Health Assessment

Colleague Bonus Scheme

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The new Colleague Bonus Scheme, which replaces Profit Share, recently launched. The bonus is linked to your store’s or site’s performance over a 12-month period. It means that you and your team have a greater influence on the bonus you receive.

You can find out more by reading the Colleague Bonus Scheme leaflet, which you should have received with your payslip in April.

Find out more about the colleague bonus scheme by reading the leaflets in stores and sites.

Sign up for sharesave There’s still time to sign up for this year’s sharesave*. Anyone who has been a permanent employee of an eligible Morrisons business (part of the Morrisons group) on or before 1 February 2015 can join sharesave.

Why join sharesave?

• Save from £5 up to £350 per month from your net pay – paid into your sharesave account • Save for three years

Charitable donations You can also set up a regular Payroll Giving donation which increases the contribution to your selected charity through Gift Aid on the tax you save.

Your flexible benefits

TAKEAWAY

e More flexible benefits have launched, giving you the chanc when nce Insura al Nation r to save on Income Tax and/o buying bikes, computers, dental insurance and more.

There’s still time to sign up for Childcare Vouchers and save up to £910 per year.

Visit mymorrisons.com and sign up between 15 and 31 May.

• Then either buy Morrisons shares at the fixed option price, or take back your savings • The fixed option price has been confirmed as £1.64 • Close your account at any time and get your savings back For details on how to join, see your sharesave pack or posters in stores and sites.

Offer closes 5pm on 11 May 2015

If you still haven’t rec eived your sharesave pack to yo ur home address, call the helpl ine on 0845 1200 300 (lines open 8.30 to 5.30pm Mond ay to Friday, and 9.00am to 1.00pm Saturday)

There’s still time for eligible colleagues to join this year’s sharesave. Apply before the 5pm deadline on 11 May. *Terms and conditions apply, see sharesave packs for full details.

Not available in Gibraltar.

may2015

Morrisons COLLEAGUE FACEBOOK group

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Growing

speed

Timeline

About

Photos

Likes

More

colleagues More than 13,000 of you are now members of the Morrisons Colleague Facebook Group – and you’re helping to make a real difference through your ideas and suggestions.

13,000+ Likes

e set up the group, just for Morrisons colleagues, to help improve two-way W communication across the business. Wherever you work, you can chat to people from all areas of the company, post your views on business issues, make suggestions for improvements and ask questions.

And, because it’s on Facebook, you don’t need computer access at work to use the site – you can visit it from all the usual electronic devices and from outside work too.

More than words Colleague Facebook continues to be a hub of ideas and suggestions on how to improve the business, and a way for people across the company to collaborate and engage with one another.

Over the Easter period, hundreds of users posted pictures of their Market Street displays and seasonal events that helped boost sales in stores.

And Colleague Facebook is becoming even better, with extra reasons to sign up and be a part of it. In recent months: • W e’ve introduced special ‘events’ for areas such as Produce, Meat, Fish and Café. These sections allow people who work in these areas the

See more...

may2015

opportunity to share best practice and get expert opinion without threads getting lost in the main group • It’s become the first place to go to see new update videos from David Potts • E ven more areas of the business, such as Supply Chain and Retail Operations, have been using Facebook to find out what really needs fixing across the business, and listening to your views on how we can make the business even better • W e brought the National Kick Off conference to life by ‘live blogging’ – posting key messages from the event as they were announced.

Morrisons COLLEAGUE FACEBOOK group

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at the

of like Sign up today

Your page… your voice

To be part of the group, you need to have a Facebook account. Then, get an existing member to invite you or send your email address to which your Facebook account is linked, as well as your store number or work location, to cfs@morrisonsplc.co.uk. Our admin team will then verify that you’re a Morrisons Colleague before accepting you into the group.

Remember, it’s important you read, understand, and follow the Colleague Facebook Group and Social Media Policies – ask your personnel/HR manager to see a copy. Posts and comments that break those policies may be deleted and you may also have your access to the Group removed too.

Here’s what you’ve been saying about being part of Colleague Facebook:

“It gives our company a sense of community. The thought that someone from Cornwall could help and give advice to someone from Scotland is amazing!”

“Being on maternity leave it’s really helped me feel like I was still part of the team and in the loop.”

“It’s a brilliant way to engage with others across the company. It can make me laugh and it can make me cry!”

Like

“Although I am in one small store, I feel like a member of one big family – thank you for sharing and making me feel part of the bigger picture.”

Comment...

When using Colleague Facebook...

Be respectful of all users

Keep your language clean

Tag #admin if you need help

Report content you find offensive

Read posts, as your question may already have been asked

Read the Social Media and Facebook policies, available on the site

Your Colleague Facebook

TAKEAWAY

The story, in nutshella

tion Colleague Facebook improves two-way communica have to e chanc the ne across Morrisons, giving everyo their say, support each other, and get important company information – wherever they work.

By sharing best practice, making suggestions for improvements, and helping each other out, we can make Morrisons a better place to work for colleagues and improve our stores for our customers. may2015

GIVING SOMETHING BACK

GET IN TOUCH

Communications or via the internal post, email Company , Bradford BD3 7DL write to us at Hilmore House, Gain Lane

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More help

hire The Gloucesters e team om H Hospice at

You’ve raised an amazing £2.5m so far, meaning that Sue Ryder can expand and give even more people the care they need in their own homes.

closer to home

Y

our fundraising has enabled Sue Ryder to bring forward its plans to roll-out its Hospice at Home service. It will now be introduced into several communities throughout the UK, starting with the areas where existing Sue Ryder hospices are located.

Samantha Cheverton, Sue Ryder’s Assistant Director of Palliative Services, says: “The money raised by Morrisons colleagues and customers has helped us to do more than we ever thought possible.

Our Hospice at Home services will make a huge difference to our patients and their families. It will allow more people to spend their final days at home and make sure that their carers and loved ones receive the practical and emotional support they need.”

Sue Ryder’s Hospice at Home service in Gloucestershire is already up

To get in touch

and running. It officially launched at the Communi-Tea Party at our Abbeydale store last month. The team, which includes experienced nurses and healthcare professionals, provides round the clock care.

“Patients are more relaxed and comfortable when they’re in their own homes. They know where they are and they’re surrounded by familiar people.

It’s often easier for family and friends to visit, and at home nobody needs to ask you if you take sugar in your tea!” says Heather Mitchell, Manager of the Hospice at Home service in Gloucestershire.

“We only have one chance to get palliative care right. Our aim is to make people aware that hospital isn’t the only choice. We want to give them and their families the best possible care and support to allow them to stay at home, if that’s where they want to be,” adds Heather.

Sue Ryder’s ‘Raise a Smile’ team will support your fundraising every step of the way and they would love to hear from you.

Email morrisons@sueryder.org call 0800 949 6000 may2015

@Sue_Ryder

SueRyderNational

GIVING SOMETHING BACK , everything that you send to Fresh News Sorry if we can’t mention you. We do read please keep them coming!

– s photo and s letter ls, emai your all but space is limited. Thanks for

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A great par-tea Thanks to your support, the Morrisons Communi-Tea Party was a huge success.

Thank you to everyone who sent in a photo. Here’s a selection of those we received.

Catton

Braintree

Horndean

Dutch courage Places are still available in Sue Ryder’s London to Amsterdam cycle ride. The Dutch adventure takes place from 8 to 11 October, during Hospice Care Week.

For more information or to sign up, visit sueryder.org/ londonamsterdam

A Leck of paint Community Champions Daisy Kirkwood, Georgia Blencoe and Sam Cole helped to decorate a new bereavement room during a volunteering day at Sue Ryder’s Leckhampton Court Hospice.

YOUR CHARITY SNIPPETS hool A local primary sc d me held an Easter-the bag pack, helping £263.46 Holbrooks to raise r. de Ry e Su for

ed Cirencester M local rais g lkin wa by 0 £20 n tha more er 15 miles from a Sue Ryd hospice to the store.

The Morrisons Foundation, a new charity fund that launched earlier this year, has approved two new charity grants.

Helping young people TO cope Saint Michael’s Hospice received funding to train 12 new volunteers who will offer one-to-one bereavement support for children and young people.

The funding will enable the Hospice to expand its ‘Just B’ Bereavement Support’ service, which offers practical support to those struggling with bereavement.

Find out more at saintmichaelshospice.org

Helping older people remember

Hartlepool organised a shopping trolley raffle raising £185.

Stamford raised a whopping £380 thanks to an Easter tombola.

Granting wishes

Text to donate

Text SMILE to 70123 to donate £3 TODAY. You’ll bE helping people at the end of their lives, and supporting their families.* *For terms and conditions visit www.sueryder.org/text

A grant for Bolton Dementia Support will go towards their ‘Reminiscing about the 1960s’ project. As people with dementia tend to remember their past but not more recent

events, this project is a vital part of the group’s work.

The funding will be used to create a 1960s environment, which will aid people living with dementia by helping them retain a sense of who they are. Find out more at allcommunity.co.uk/ dementiasupportgroup

More matchfunding The Morrisons Foundation is run by independent, impartial trustees, alongside Morrisons trustees, who make sure that we stay true to the Foundation’s objectives.

As well as providing grants to charities, colleagues can apply for the Morrisons Foundation to match-fund the money they raise for charitable organisations.

morrisonsfoundation.co.uk Terms and conditions apply.

may2015

THE SOCIAL

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the social

WE WANT YOUR STORIES for THE SOCIAL. please send them through the internal post, or to FRESH NEWS, using the address on p2.

You can also email company.communications@morrisonsplc.co.uk

Diamond gift

The fun in fundraising

Peterhead presented a local couple with a bunch of flowers on their diamond wedding anniversary, to help them celebrate 60 years of marriage.

You’re a generous bunch and, as always, raised a fantastic amount for Comic Relief including Stamford (right) and the Property and Development team.

A yabba-dabba doozey

Frozen footsteps Gnome sweet gnome Diss colleagues presented Store General Manager Peter Morley with a personalised Morrisons garden gnome on his 65th birthday.

Holyhead colleagues invited local dance group, The Barton Dance & Drama Academy, to raise money in the store. They entertained customers with their Frozen themed dancing.

Booking the trend Business Bay Colwyn Bay’s Store General Manager Nigel Coulton helped out at a local school’s apprentice competition. This included Nigel advising the students on how businesses work. may2015

Southport’s Community Champion Anna Ingram ran a children’s competition for World Book Day, and invited a local author to pick the winner. There were more than 70 entries, and Anna donated book vouchers to the winning school.

The Morrisons Ladies Netball club took part in a league charity fun day, dressing up as The Flintstones to raise money for Breast Cancer UK. In total, the event raised more than £2,000.

Penrith petals Penrith held a ‘draw your mum a bouquet competition’.

The winner (pictured) won a beautiful bouquet created by the store’s florist.

THE SOCIAL

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A mayoral engagement The Mayor of Wirral created a real buzz when he visited New Brighton and helped out with bag packing to raise money for charity.

Quick updates Gloucester’s Andrea Whatmore ran a half marathon for the charity, Mind.

Dumfries’ Barry Chambers and his nephew helped out at a local charity wedding fair when their helpers had to cancel two days before the event.

Royal miles (and miles) Congratulations to all our colleagues who ran the Morrisons Great Edinburgh Run, which took place last month, including Jack Brennan (Arbroath), Nigel Hart (Fakenham), Ian Birch (Hilmore), Francis Fowles (Hilmore) and Billy Matthew (Troon) – pictured below.

When asked to take part in a spring clean last month, colleagues across the UK pulled together to make sure their stores were ready for Easter trading.

Scunthorpe Advanced Motorists were made to feel extremely welcome by colleagues when they spent a day outside Scunthorpe talking to customers.

When a customer lost an antique family ring, Cannock’s Cathy Higginson searched high and low, eventually finding the ring and returning it to a very grateful customer.

Neath’s Eileen Summerhayes sent flowers and a card to a regular customer who lost her husband, and to another customer who had an operation.

Blyth colleagues hosted four visits from a total of 80 reception children.

Chard M local’s Emma Harris takes an elderly couple to do their weekly shop at their nearest main estate store once a week, as they struggle to travel.

Best last days enjoyed by Ronald James (Corby Freezer) – pictured, Douglas Smith (Giffnock), Dave Parry (Stamford) and Gwen Wardle (Walderslade).

Kilmarnock’s Community Champion Sharon Govan treated local children to haggis when they visited the store.

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may2015