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We have all made great friendships through schuh, and to celebrate International Friendship Day, we wanted our employees to recognise and celebrate colleagues who mean so much to them. In partnership with Perkbox, we encouraged our employees to post a message, tell us a story or share a memory and recognise one (or many) of their favourite “schuhbies” for the chance to win Reward Points to spend on Perkbox!
Our teams attended NEXT GEN SCHUH BRAND CONFERENCE last month. It was an amazing day filled with information, insight, opportunities and – of course – shoes! Next Gen schuh Brand Conference was all about Mental Wellness. There was Wellness Mini Movement sessions throughout the day, as well as a Mental Wellness Break in the afternoon, encouraging attendees to Breathe, Move, Connect. The Retail, Buying and Digital teams shared their performance highlights, future projects and exciting plans for the year ahead. Our Next Gen schuh Brand Conference was sponsored by Crocs & Hey Dude. All attendees were gifted with a fabulous pair of Crocs or Hey Dudes to wear to the event and they hosted a fabulous “After Glow” party at night. Representatives from both companies also took the stage to tell us all about their achievements, goals, opportunities – as well as sneak peek at the amazing product coming to schuh in AW24!
April is Stress Awareness Month, organised by the Stress Management Society. This year’s theme is #littlebylittle to put an emphasis on how even the smallest steps can contribute to improved mental health over time. There are lots of different factors that may cause you to experience stress in your lifetime. It’s not avoidable, but manageable with the right tools in place. This month we have been signpostin employees to Employee Assistance Programmes: Retail Trust, Wagestream & Perkbox. To provide support in coping with, and reducing, stress levels.
Kyle’s journey with schuh spans almost 7 years, during which he has showcased exceptional dedication, innovation, and a profound commitment to customer service and inclusive team development. Kyle has made contributions across multiple Northwest stores, including Blackburn, Warrington, and Liverpool. As well as currently serving as Senior Deputy Manager at Liverpool ONE, Kyle is also Management Trainee Mentor in the North. Kyle goes beyond his daily in-store responsibilities, empowering his team through training and development sessions and mentoring 13 Management Trainees in the region.
The aim of Autism Acceptance Week is to help more people understand what autism is, as well as the ways it can affect life for autistic people. Fostering Diverse Talent is one of our Purpose Pillars, meaning it is a constant objective in everything we do, and within that umbrella is a focus on Disability Equality. This Autism Acceptance Week, we’re sharing a reminder of our ongoing commitments to improving the shopping experience for the autistic and neurodiverse community. SOCIAL STORIES With the support of our partner at Hidden Disabilities, our Social Stories were created with the autistic community in mind. They aim to showcase what to expect from a shopping experience at schuh, in an easily digestible way. AUTISM AWARENESS & DISABILITY CONFIDENCE TRAININGS So far, 80% of store teams have completed their Autism Awareness and Disability Confidence training. QUIET HOURS IN STORES Over the past year, we have increased the number of stores currently offering quiet hours by just over 25% and we are continuing to improve this. DISABILITY CONFIDENT WORK EXPERIENCE We are creating work experience opportunities for disabled or neurodiverse individuals. We currently have 4 individuals completing supported internships and have supported another 4 in previous internships. We’re committed to equal opportunities and inclusion for all. Our Mission is to provide Disability Equality within schuh, our customer community and encourage this in the wider music and arts culture.
International Day of Happiness aims to promote happiness, well-being, and a more compassionate world. It is a day to celebrate and recognise the importance of happiness in people’s lives and encourage individuals, communities and organisations to take action to promote happiness and well-being. On International Day of Happiness, the Mental Well Purpose Group organised a workshop with Jade Mordente. The theme of the workshop was Goal Setting and Reiki Meditation, to bring the whole schuh team together and help with prioritising your own happiness and wellbeing.
This March, we encourage all our teams to celebrate women's achievements, to raise awareness about discrimination and take action to drive gender equality. In line with our own values, we promote inclusivity and aim to create a welcoming environment for all. To celebrate Women’s History Month & International Women’s Day, we are spotlighting women in schuh that inspire us every day. We have also created a Padlet for EVERYONE to share a message, to support International Women’s Day, and empower women in schuh, and to share photos of our teams doing the #InspireInclusion pose 🫶 to show solidarity!
Today is Employee Appreciation Day, a day to recognise and celebrate employees and their contribution to the company. An opportunity for managers and employees alike to reach out to each other and show some appreciation. In the lead up to Employee Appreciation Day we challenged our teams to DOUBLE the total of recognitions in our Celebration Hub on Perkbox and they did not dissappoint! The target was 130 recognitions, and from launch on Monday 26 February until Employee Appreciation Day there were over 160 recognitions and 115 of these were linked to our values. This Employee Appreciation Day we remind our teams that by recognising each other, we not only make our workplace more positive, but we also reinforce what we stand for. We encourage our co-workers to recognise eachother beyond Employee Appreciation Day, to make recognising each other a habit and help us maintain a culture of appreciation.
On the lead up to Random Acts of Kindness Day, we encouraged everyone to give out a random act of kindness at some point throughout the week. "It can mean so much to make people feel heard, seen and appreciated, and in turn can lift your own mood knowing you have made a difference." For every random act of kindness carried out by a member of the schuh family, we carried the act of kindness forward and donated £1 to our chosen charities.
Jack has been with schuh for two years and completed his Level 2 Apprenticeship programme within the last year. Jack’s unwavering commitment and hard work over the past year, alongside the support of his management team, has seen him not only progress through his apprenticeship programme but also a promotion to a Management Trainee position within the store. Amazing – well done Jack! “From the moment I started at schuh I knew it was more than just a part time job. The atmosphere in store was just amazing. After I had been at Schuh for around 3 months as a part-time sales adviser, that's when I realised I just wanted to learn more and carry on extending my knowledge. I then started the apprenticeship which lasted just over a year. The support from everyone was amazing! During my apprenticeship, I was promoted to supervisor where I could develop my knowledge even more, especially around the management side of things. Now fast forward to where we are now, just finished my end of point assessment and have been promoted to trainee manager. I would recommend the apprenticeship to anyone looking to step up their career in retail and take it to a new level!”
