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Introduction

J Sainsbury plc is one of the World's leading retailers, playing a part in the lives of 15 million customers a week. From the freshest food to the widest choice of products for the home to the best service and value in banking. The Sainsbury group comprises Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd, Sainsbury's Savacentre, Sainsbury's Homebase, Shaws, Starmarket and Sainsbury's Bank.

Sainsbury's Supermarkets was founded in 1869 by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury and is Britain's longest standing, major food retailing chain. The founder's principles and values guide the business as strongly today as they did at the outset - to be the customer's first choice for food shopping by providing high quality products, value for money, excellent service and attention to detail.

Our people

Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd employs over 129, 600 people. Of these 69% are part-time and 31% full-time. For our people and our customers the focus is "making life taste better".

Our products

A large Sainsbury supermarket offers over 23,000 products and 40% of these are Sainsbury's own brand. In addition to a wide range of quality food and grocery products, many stores offer bread baked on the premises, delicatessen, meat and fish counters, pharmacies, coffee shops, restaurants and petrol stations.

Our stores

The Company serves over 9 million customers a week at 405 stores throughout the UK. Of these 12 are in Scotland, eight in Wales and six in Northern Ireland.

Sainsbury's policy statement and comments

Sainsbury's is committed to providing a working environment in which everyone feels valued, respected and able to contribute to the success of the business and to employing a workforce which recognises and supports the diversity of its customers and potential customers. All HR Policies are kept under regular review to ensure that they are non discriminatory and promote equal opportunity.

Sainsbury's reasonable adjustment policy enables the business to respond to the needs of potential, new and existing employees with a disability to ensure that the business maximises their efficiency and comfort levels. The Company has agreed nationally with two agencies (The Shaw Trust and Remploy) to explore every opportunity of providing employment for disabled individuals in the form of sheltered placements. Other local agencies contact our stores directly with requests to arrange such placements and our policy is to support these requests wherever possible.

Sainsbury's also offers opportunities for people with a disability to gain experience in a working environment and to accommodate, where possible, requests from various sources to provide work experience. The Company offers short term placements and then considers the individual's suitability for open employment or a sheltered placement when a vacancy arises, having made the necessary adjustments to the recruitment process.

Sainsbury's gold card membership with the Employers' Forum on Disability is an integral part of the commitments outlined above. It enhances our ability to communicate and share best practice and develop and improve the services we offer to our colleagues and customers.

Progress and aspirations for our colleagues and customers

Training and awareness

Before the Disability Discrimination Act came into force in December 1996, a detailed briefing was cascaded to each Branch Personnel and Training Manager. This was followed up with the publication of a 'Management Guide to Disability' which was issued to management in store and Head Office locations and supported by local briefings. This booklet outlines the requirements of the DDA and the importance of making reasonable adjustments for people with a disability.

The Company also offered a 'Helping Hands' workshop which aimed at improving awareness of problems encountered by people with visual impairments and increased colleague confidence when dealing with the individual needs of customers. A leaflet was published called "Access For All" providing practical information on disability related issues and what the business had put in place to assist in these areas.

Currently colleague inductions now include the 'Magic Touch' workshop which all new starters must complete during their probationary period. Stores are beginning to extend this to existing colleagues and the Head Office induction programme has recently been revisited to address equal opportunity issues/awareness.

As part of Sainsbury's Fair Treatment policy, equality and diversity workshops have been running since the beginning of 1998. The majority of store, departmental heads have completed this training. An information leaflet entitled "Allsorts" has been distributed to all employees and forms part of the induction pack for new recruits.

On an individual level, colleagues are able to obtain sponsorship for external courses such as signing using a scheme called 'Choices' which is co-ordinated by Branch Personnel and Training Managers.

The HR Newsletter is published every month and keeps management up to date with recent developments.

A monthly colleague journal, issued to all stores is used to communicate best practice and features many of the company's 'success' stories. Local and Group Staff Councils also provide a useful forum in promoting awareness.

General progress

The Company has revised the recruitment process for all in-store colleagues and produces an application form which ensures disabled people are not discriminated against. The process is adjusted in line with individual requirements. Provision of training material has been made available in alternative formats such as large print and braille and there is a growing list of adjustments made for disabled colleagues including installation of voice controlled computers, office furniture and general equipment to assist productivity and comfort levels. Sainsbury's has recently installed a large computer monitor for a visually impaired colleague in Edinburgh and an adjustable chair for a check-out operator in Worcester funded through Sainsbury's reasonable adjustment budget.

Sainsbury's is working closely with Status Employment to expand supported employment for colleagues with learning disabilities and also Fast Trak who aim to secure work placements for graduates with disabilities. Our excellent partnership with The Shaw Trust and Remploy continues and the business has recently sponsored Mencap and Disability Daily at the 1999 political party conferences.

Our customers

Sainsbury's recognises that each of its customers is an individual with individual needs. The business has invested heavily in training to ensure that our colleagues have an awareness of the needs of disabled customers. One of our priorities is to design and use signage and labelling which is clear and easy to read. Other examples of commitments includes the designation of store car parking spaces for disabled parking, disabled access doors, and a service call facility, available at the majority of petrol filling stations enabling disabled drivers to request assistance without leaving their vehicle. Personal shoppers assist customers with individual needs and the 'Order Line' service has helped to deliver groceries straight to customer doors.

A lot of good work at Sainsbury's Rustington store will assist in future plans to develop and improve our services and facilities.

Case studies

So much good work has been done at Sainsbury's and the examples listed below provide a flavour of the type of good practices that have assisted our colleagues and customer with disabilities.

Blackpole store

Interest in signing training was so great a college tutor, John Pusser who normally takes his classes at Worcester Technical College agreed to run sessions in the staff canteen, teaching colleagues how to communicate using B.S.L.

Colleagues who took part in the training agree it brought benefits for themselves and customers. Says assistant manager administration, Samantha Williams:

“it's given me much more of an insight into how Sue feels and into the problems of people with disabilities in generally.”

“Many of the staff are now proud wearers of the Sainsbury's Signer badge and we have a listening-ear logo on the customer services wall. When a customer with hearing difficulties needs help, they're often quite surprised to find that staff can user sign language - or that they can quickly get help from someone who can”.

Epsom store

Another example of support for colleagues with hearing disabilities - rotating jobs within the store to find the most suitable position for colleagues.

Harrogate store

A partially deaf colleague has recently received a hearing dog. Though it had no link with assisting in her duties or responsibilities she was keen to have the dog accompany her at work. This was agreed by the store and the dog is stationed next to the checkout.

South Harrow store

Last year an article in 'The Journal' (Sainsbury's internal magazine) featured a trainee manager with dyslexia who was experiencing difficulty with project work. The store arranged for some tests and the colleague then recorded work on a dictaphone, walked the store manager around he store to explain things and taped the work for someone else to type up.

Rustington Store

A colleague with tunnel vision was having difficulty reading Health and Safety posters and information around the store. The branch typed up a summary page that could be kept in his pocket for referral whenever required.

Loughborough store

A customer with cerebral palsy pays for shopping with a card showing a signature as a thumb print. Cashiers have been made aware that payment would be made in this way and the experience has promoted the awareness of colleagues in the store about the practical difficulties associated with disability.

Ashford store

Have purchased a small table and chair for a cubicle in the ladies changing rooms to enable a colleague to proceed with her kidney dialysis. A similar adjustment was made for a colleague with diabetes which enabled medication to be taken in a private environment.

Stevenage store

Have recently purchased a pager for a profoundly deaf baker to assist communication.

Redhill store

As a result of feedback from a customer with a stammer, the company are looking to tailor their 'Telephone Techniques Workguide' to deal with this issue and publish a section in 'The Journal' to raise corporate awareness.

Head Office

Sainsbury's has adapted its car loan policy for an individual with a visual impairment.

Lambeth Accord

Sainsbury's have helped to set up a "mock shop" to assist with the training of individuals with a disability prior to their application for retail based jobs.

The future

The Company is committed to continue to develop, invest and improve in all disability related areas and pursue the vision communicated by the Group Chief Executive, Dino Adriano in the Fair Treatment Guide issued to all colleagues:

Our goal is to make equal opportunity a reality throughout the business. We all have a role to play in bringing equality and diversity policies to life to create a work climate in which everyone feels valued and respected, a workforce that is responsive to the diversity of our customers and a way of working which makes the most of the skills and talents of all our colleagues.