john-lewis-partnership-plc-annual-report-2015

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98 John Lewis Partnership plc Annual Report and Accounts 2015 The Partnership Council report (continued) Influencing Policy Unlike the more formal and very visible ‘holding to account’ moments, the process of influencing policy is more gradual. Partnership Council actions There were three key areas of focus this year: aa Pensions, which culminated in an historic vote in January; aa Pay, where the debate on pay for performance, the living wage and benefits continues to gather pace into the new Council term; and aa Systems, where increasing centralisation and complexity can quickly lead to frustration at sub-optimal reliability or process change. Pensions This second year of the Pension Benefit Review included two occasions on which Partner opinion was “rolled up” through PartnerVoice, Forums and Divisional Councils in response to draft proposals brought by management. The strong feedback that Partners gave on the proposed halving of the accrual rate to 1/120 resulted in an improved proposal that included a 3% contribution from the Partnership to the Defined Contribution pension for those Partners who had qualified for the Defined Benefit section of the scheme. But as well as shaping the main elements of the proposal, Partnership Councillors also influenced some of the more detailed aspects – such as increases to pensions in retirement, death in service benefits and ill-health pensions – during additional briefing sessions which included sense-checking progress with an independent pensions expert. Pay Pay was the subject of two separate sessions at the Council’s November Conference. Firstly a confidential briefing on senior pay and pensions was designed to give a “warts and all” reassurance in response to some disquiet and puzzlement expressed at earlier meetings around whether this small group of Partners was being treated more favourably than others. Secondly, the Partner Group (the Council’s Specialist Group working with the Personnel Directorate) had been scrutinising our first year of Pay for Performance and the link to questions around the pay review process, pay budgeting, the Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage. That led to a session with the whole Council and coincided with lively debate on the intranet and in the Gazette letters pages. The responses to the 2015 Partner Survey questions on pay will then provide a springboard for further influence when they are discussed in the coming year. Systems Influencing our systems is also a gradual process and Councillors recognised that they needed a better understanding of the Partnership Services division in order to appreciate the scale of change that the Partnership was managing. A well-planned afternoon’s visit in July 2014 to Spedan House in Bracknell was for many Councillors their first direct insight into the division, including some frank questioning of those responsible for the recently launched Resourcing service. The Partner Group’s follow-up visit to that area in February 2015 found a much more stable operation, but on both occasions Councillors were struck by Partners’ openness to feedback and strong desire to get things right. Rule 64 of the Constitution provides for Partners in exceptional need to receive financial assistance from the Partnership. This assistance is funded through monies granted to the Partnership Council. In 2014/15, the Partnership provided hardship loans to 824 Partners totalling £538,000 and hardship grants to 756 Partners totalling £474,000. Partner Group Our pay policy is monitored by a committee of the Partnership Council, the Partner Group. The Partner Group is consulted on changes to policies, and can make their own recommendations for change or review. Live streaming All formal meetings of the Partnership Council are live streamed to branches and sites across the country. The meetings are reported in the following week’s Gazette, the Partnership’s magazine. After each Partnership Council meeting, full written summaries and highlights films are available from the Partner intranet.
Annual Report and Accounts 2015 John Lewis Partnership plc 99 Making Decisions Key Partnership Council decisions taken Pension Benefit Review Council’s most important decision this year was in January 2015: the unanimous acceptance of the Pension Benefit Review proposal at the end of a two-year long process of consultation, influence and opinion gathering. At the same meeting, Councillors also made an important decision (by 40 votes to 22) not to ring fence temporary pensions. The discussion of this issue was prompted by the receipt of two Gazette letters late on in the consultation process. Councillors had received a detailed briefing on the issue from the Review team. Some were personally affected or had had the chance to speak to those that were at Divisional Council meetings the week before Partnership Council. The vote which followed the 90 minute debate on the issue was an important moment for our democratic process as it confirmed Councillors’ authority to make such a decision as representatives acting in the best interests of the Partnership, without further consultation of their constituents. They also debated and decided (by 51 votes to 11) not to exercise the option of delaying the decision in order to gather more Partner opinion. Election of President of Partnership Council for 2015 to 2018 Another key decision by the Council in January was the election of Trevor Phillips as its President for the 2015 to 2018 term. The Co-ownership Group is the Specialist Group which manages the business of the Council on its behalf. It had agreed with the Partners’ Counsellor that candidates for the post should be sought from both inside and outside the Partnership and was fully involved, as on previous occasions, with the interviewing process and made the final recommendation. Directors and Trustee elections The Council’s final meeting of its three year term in March 2015 was the occasion on which it elected five Directors of the Partnership Board and three Trustees of the Constitution for the new council term of 2015 to 2018. There were 17 and seven candidates respectively and a 98% turnout in the ballot, with the following results: aa Elected Directors of the Partnership Board: Kim Lowe (re-elected), Steve Gardiner (re-elected), Chris Coburn, Baiju Naik, Lucy Parks. aa Trustees of the Constitution: Cathy Houchin (re-elected), Karen Crisford and Johnny Aisher. Whilst these posts are all elected simultaneously, earlier in the year the Chairman had agreed the Council’s recommendation to move to rolling elections for the four trustees elected to the Pensions Board and to extend their term of office from three to four years. Employee Ownership Champion nominations There was an even fuller field in response to the call for Partners to nominate colleagues for the Philip Baxendale Awards “Employee Ownership Champion” category, designed to recognise the individual or team who have done the most to support and promote an ownership culture within their organisation, particularly those operating at the frontline/ shop floor or junior/middle management levels. The Co-ownership Group selected four from a strong field of over 40 and, whilst none were victorious this time, those Partners present at the Employee Ownership Association’s annual conference were able to see the Mary Knowles Homecare Partnership be the first recipient of the Partnership-sponsored ‘Rising Star’ award. Mary Knowles Homecare provides expert care and support to people in their homes in Oxfordshire and the surrounding region, helping enable a more comfortable, independent and fulfilling life. It was also a welcome opportunity to learn from other similar organisations and to share notes on how democratic engagement is central to ensuring that we have a better way of doing business. Jane Burgess Partners’ Counsellor 16 April 2015 Ballot results Elected Directors of the Partnership Board: Steve Gardiner (re-elected) Kim Lowe (re-elected) Chris Coburn Baiju Naik Lucy Parks Trustees of the Constitution: Cathy Houchin (re-elected) Johnny Aisher Karen Crisford New Council President In March 2015, Partnership Councillors unanimously agreed a change to the Constitution that means a non-Partner can now be elected as Council President. The move allows President Elect and broadcaster Trevor Philips to be formally appointed as successor to the current President, David Jones, from the start of the new Council term. Introduction Partnership difference Principles Strategy Performance Governance Financial statements
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