3 - Staff Management News

Preparing for the holiday season; filling the gaps; early preparations; who is my relief? See the picture as a whole; have you tried this? To explain the use of various forms; to encourage a sensible attitude; to the new departmental manager; training through routine - routine as a method of training; the merchandise you want; some facts about trial lines; small trials: big trials; time is the essence; why do some stores often get trial lines and others very rarely? Reporting back; pitfalls to be avoided; what makes a successful trial line? Did you know that during 1955…4 facts about M & S; no one to promote? ( Finding suitable staff for promotion); staff notice board - will you please take a photograph… SUPPLEMENTS: Floor supervisor's special: any questions? Sales assistant's leaflet: you sent in the questions - the departments supplied the answers.

What the competition showed; floor supervisors; sales assistants; office staff; stockroom and warehouse staff; display staff; canteen staff; cleaning staff; you sent in the questions; thoughts about staff training; training of staff in the technical work; further development of experienced staff - some questions on training and development; a challenge to planning - the leaflets with this issue demand action; a new look at pressing - (about garment pressing); training through delegation; general principles; learning from results; notice boards ( use of notice boards as a training aid) ; a simple idea for a basic layout with a daily change of subject; of interest to sales assistants on foods and textiles. SUPPLEMENTS: Housekeeping supplement; spring cleaning (bring your store cupboard up-to-date); ideas for sandwiches; looking ahead: advance planning for holidays; sales assistant leaflet - a challenge to you; floor supervisor's special; an index of training material; a challenge to supervision - what does this mean for you?

Contents include: Sickness absenteeism; Suggestions for holidays; Speeding up circulation; Training news; The Dentist explains how teeth affect health; Chances of promotion in this Company; Tests for promotion; Grants are due for sports and social clubs; Have you tried this?; Canteen catering; Mail bag.

two copies; Confidences, handle with care; private and confidential; trouble shared is trouble halved; the reverse side of the medal; sympathy without sentiment; if you are interested (book review); for and against; there's more than one way…. Of improving service: of helping a floor supervisor with staff control: of dealing with emergencies; included in this issue ( leaflets supplied); training through training others; short story ( about a bishop visiting girls' schools); people and work (extracts from comments on new developments in industrial leadership). SUPPLEMENTS: Floor supervisor's special: if staff are acting as reliefs; leaflet for supervisors and staff on food departments - speaking of foods; sales assistant's leaflet: in holiday times….; quiz for reliefs; leaflet for part timers - how can a part-timer be fully useful?

two copies; Enough people but not enough attention ( everyone recognises the need for service supervision); a new look at understocks; interviews can be confidence builders; interviewing is a two way process….;it is best to plan the practical side before hand; giving the S/M a clearer knowledge; extract something of positive value; the answer depends on careful timing; creating a sense of security; the new progress record; weighty points( weightlines on food departments); will it wash? The right time (sensitivity to timing); fire ( a humorous approach to a serious subject…); the Christmas season…. Reflections and anticipations; no store can be better than its staff; strengthening supervision; oyez! Oyez! Speeding up service; this year's experience makes next year's plan; keeping the interest up till the last minute; short story (about a Kentucky school boy). SUPPLEMENTS: What's cooking? (meats); floor supervisor's special; are you observant? Observation is clearly linked with supervision; "True or false?"…. a follow up quiz for the childrens' underwear and slumberwear booklet; 2 other leaflets missing;

two copies: An experience of a life time (H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh's study conference on the human problems of industrial communities within the Commonwealth and Empire); Something old, something new… ( factors which go to make a successful Christmas….); something old; something new; something borrowed; and perhaps another clue; the overall question of mobility; making the best of the floor supervisor's special; there's more than one way…..; of achieving teamwork….; of correcting mistakes; on becoming a staff manageress; it's the little things that count; is your answer yes or no? (questions to staff); supervision as a trainee sees it; notice board - three ways of using the 'good service' poster. SUPPLEMENTS: Housekeeping supplement - about cleaning; sauce recipes; floor supervisor's special: start now….. to prepare for Christmas; sales assistants leaflet: a quiz on waste.

two copies: Enough people, if there is enough organisation; charting the busy times; all have a contribution to make; informed staff will be a more efficient staff; mobility is an opportunity for pre-grooming; till errors on the increase? Senior jobs, senior responsibilities. SUPPLEMENTS: Floor supervisor's special; fewer bells this Christmas; some queries can be forestalled; how do tills differ? - a visual aid for use in till training; just a reminder - 3 leaflets for sales assistants on points ( particularly relevant for rush periods); poster highlighting things which make for smooth running in the store.

It calls for staff management; keeping an eye on the progress of people; the higher the goal, the greater the effort (getting the best out of people); can experience be taught? How can experience be provided? Drawing the right conclusions; exchanges are a service, but…….; ideas from stores on stock control; training opportunities; there is a new approach to stock; there are fewer written instructions; fewer documents by which facts can be checked; a new approach to mobility; serve from the display; probing the facts; probing a new word for the M & S dictionary; how stores can help the prober; watching over quality standards; sifting the facts; the prober is the store's 'M.P.'; do you have many till errors? Suggestions for the notice board (a quiz to encourage observation); Staff Management News ( reprints of articles); making a note of it. SUPPLEMENTS: Floor Supervisor's Supplement - missing; sales assistant's leaflet on probing - missing; quiz for sales assistants on children's underwear and slumberwear; comparative British, American and Continental sizes for ladies' hosiery and footwear.

Full and Part-time Staff; Competitions provide excellent training opportunities; store competitions; have you tried a competition?; Preparing the ground for the quiz; Always….sometimes….never? The £100 average order; It calls for staff management ; the second stage of redeployment; The Marks and Spencer standard of service; what part can senior staff play in service?; The remarks column - as the distributor sees it; Is this your problem? Conflicting claims; Suggestions for the notice board; based on an idea from Leicester; the result of an experiment. SUPPLEMENTS: Housing supplement missing; floor supervisor's supplement missing; quiz for sales assistants: always...sometimes....never..?

Worthy of further development; the purpose of pre-grooming; planned mobility is essential; co-operation with other people; the importance of merchandising; a broader horizon; the people are there; Can we expect good service if…..; the welfare committee; is it really wasteful?; The new handbook for sales assistants; what about the till? ; Common sense about…..Pressing…displaying white lingerie on racks….Saturday tea breaks…; Your questions answered; ( tickets, 'singles', advice notes ); some good answers to the national competition. SUPPLEMENTS: Housekeeping supplement - menu planning; floor supervisor's supplement - a visit to the food department; questions about quality; points about display; matters of merchandising and supply; sales assistant's leaflet on customers' questions.

Where there is smoke there could be fire! Some things which may help; do you use your opportunities? Have you tried these? Suggestions for the use of three fire precaution slogans; The staff manageress on the sales floor; watching service during slack periods; St Michael for foods; middle age is what you make it; training opportunities - after the holidays; your questions answered (store ordering); a long term investment? What stores are doing. SUPPLEMENTS: Sales assistants' leaflet: in the public eye; floor supervisors' supplement - the leaflet for sales assistants…..(follow up); leaflet to all sales assistants; the wording for our swing tickets is chosen with care.

The Marks and Spencer standard of service; customers like: looking around at leisure, prompt attention, a sales assistant who is well - informed ; being met with courtesy; customers dislike: waiting for service, having the display straightened; having to search for a sales assistant. It calls for staff management; meal breaks without bells; merit increases; use of training material; how to use the supplements which come with this issue; staff utilisation plus staff management make for efficiency; Can time be stretched? Danger signals; spend time to save time; two jobs in the time of one; good habits are catching; a time - saving tip for the biscuit counter; Full value from swing tickets; what head office can do; what stores can do; a new drive to keep staff informed; a concerted effort; how good an organiser are you?; A new method of measuring for brassieres; a tip for the shirt counter; notice boards - home made and packaged; suggestions please. SUPPLEMENTS: Floor supervisors' supplement; what went wrong? An account of a day which did not go according to plan; sales assistants' quiz: 'twenty questions'.

Contents include: Welfare Manual; Canteen training for Air Raid Planning (ARP) workers; The Dentist replies; The summer outlook; Staff training on the floor; Training the new Sales Assistant; A chart for checking up; Have you tried this?; Canteen catering; Suggestions about pink slips.

Work study; " Why is it done?" "How is it done?" "Is it necessary?" Full participation by the part - timer; what extra training is required; in which group does the part - timer come? What is the date line? Wrapping point or service point? ( Does self - selection or self - service predominate?) Know your staff, help your staff; facts about stock; interpret facts and act; question time; common sense about under stocks; check your Christmas organisation; how good an interviewer are you? Making Christmas shopping constructive. SUPPLEMENTS: Floor supervisors' supplement - preparation for Christmas; sales assistants' leaflets (2); ready for Christmas service? When you did your Christmas shopping……Housekeeping supplement; talking of turkeys.

The basis of training and development; well balanced (A writer from outside the company suggests how balance may be achieved); good service - over the telephone; food and textiles - one team; learning from our customers; keeping Saturday staff in the picture; trouble in store - boredom! Encouraging staff to be well informed (Introducing the ITV game of criss cross quiz); Is that tablet really necessary? (By a member of Medical Services); aspirin; slimming tablet; laxatives; when the store is busy….- a period of pressure always brings it's problems; notice boards. SUPPLEMENTS: Sales floor training; do taps ring a bell? Quiz for sales assistants; twenty more questions.

Streamlining - through good staff utilisation; the basis of training and development; the right attitude; how can the right attitude be created? Learning from our customers; points to consider; what went wrong? The story of Miss Burns; points for discussion; how good a staff manageress are you?; Development of staff benefits the individual and the store; the challenge of responsibility; widening the scope of activity; encouraging a broader outlook; assessing individual needs; familiar ideas but with a fresh slant; training for mobility and holiday reliefs; bringing in every part of the store; active participation; encouraging people to approach problems as a team; Is that tablet really necessary? - part two; pep pills, sleeping tablets, tranquilizers. SUPPLEMENTS: Housekeeping supplement - summer salads plus recipes; sales floor training - holiday time; sales assistants' leaflet; going on holiday.

Guides or manuals?; Do you make the best of your part-time staff? Is service informed and helpful? To what extent can part-timers be mobile? Need service be their only contribution?; Does the management team speak with one voice?; Taking advantage of the changes in the National Insurance Act. Two points of view: a discussion between a staff manageress and a floor supervisor; (There can never be too many good ideas - local inventiveness and ingenuity are called upon to store many store problems nowadays); 'Service comes first' - slogan or reality? Understocks are a key to efficiency; how Chelmsford tackles understocks. The sales assistant and the checking list; staff can help by accurate and speedy counting; staff can help by settling queries; staff can help by passing on facts; staff can help by watching sales trends; staff can help with the remarks column. Stand at ease! (Contributed by a member of Medical services) - about posture. SUPPLEMENT: Quiz for sales assistants: the right word tips the scales - missing.

Think about it……What kind of smoker are you - chain, sociable, nervous or occasional?; It is part of management to delegate; delegation is a skill; another use for delegation; reluctance to delegate; handing over the job; failures in delegation; part-timers' chart; staff management on and off the sales floor; how wide are your interests? - contributed by a staff supervisor; Value for money - the test of a well-run canteen; planning the menu; shopping for a canteen; buying meat; buying provisions; buying vegetables and fruit; keeping within the meal subsidy; How to make the most of the Supplement - 'Keeping the customers informed'; Merchandising without tears - notes from an assistant manager; Foot notes - contributed by a member of Medical Services; when buying new shoes; do you wear old shoes for work? Do your feet get tired? Do you suffer from corns, hard skin or bunions? How to keep your feet in trim. SUPPLEMENTS: Housekeeping; sales floor training; quiz for sales assistants - all missing.

Page 2 Selling is our business : A starting point for discussion; New lines; New lines on foods; Departmental moves; Page 5 There's no time like the present - even for training; The Staff Manageress as an impartial observer; How does one observe; Points for observation; Last but not least - the people on the job; Page 8 Are your arrangements for Christmas well in hand?; Page 10 Staffing at Christmas; Page 12 Service to the last. SUPPLEMENTS: Housekeeping - missing; Floor supervisors: reminder for your diary; Leaflet for sales assistants: service at Christmas time

Page 2 Introduction by Mr. Marcus Sieff; Page 3 Is our service St Michael quality? Looking at things afresh; Different departments, different needs; When other jobs compete with service; How sales can be lost; Page 5 Providing for retirement; about the benevolent fund and the pension scheme; Page 7 Why people work well - contributed by a staff supervisor; Page 8 Training material 1959; Page 9 Does technical knowledge help a sale? Striking the right note; Where to find the facts; A story with a moral; Moving with the times; Page 11 To plan or not to plan; Training is a team job; Some suggested training plans; The sales assistant with long experience; A refresher for supervisors; Part timers' needs; The people behind the scenes; Page 14 How to make tills work harder, ring louder; How do we set about it; Let staff speak from personal experience; Make the promotion a united effort; Page 15 Store : A national competition; What do new year resolutions make you think of?; Putting your best foot forward?; Turning over a new leaf?; Making a clean sweep. SUPPLEMENTS: Stop press - wanted, a fresh drive on hygiene; Leaflet for sales assistants : selling is a skill; Index of current training material, January 1959; Order form for reprints

Page 2 Scope for development - the aim of training and development in stores; Page 3 The people are there if you look for them; Look for people with qualities of leadership; Give them more responsibility in gradual stages; Let them try out something for themselves; Encourage them to express their ideas; Help them to develop personality; Page 5 A place in the management team - some thoughts about the training of supervisors; Page 7 It's all part of the development; Encouraging flexibility; Training others; Practice in self-expression; Developing a wider experience; Page 8 A manager expresses his point of view about… Service Supervision; Page 9 A staff manager replies on behalf of her colleagues; Page 10 If you have to be ill - why not be ill in comfort? - A reminder about the group insurance scheme; Page 11 Holidays - but service is as good as ever; Rearrangement or replacement?; Time for acquiring knowledge; Time for handing over; Every part of the store; Before - and after; Don't forget; Page 14 Far horizons or old familiar places - staff contribution re holidays; Page 15 Attributes of leadership - the essential attributes of a good manager; Page 16 Making the most of the noticeboard; Some do's and don'ts. SUPPLEMENTS: Housekeeping supplement: sales floor cleaning; Sales floor training: selling is a skill…the supervisor's angle (Amendment slip re issue No. 74)

Page 2 People are your concern; Page 4 Making the best of the handbook; 'Training for Floor Supervision'; The need for a plan; How the handbook helps the trainee; How the handbook helps the trainer; From the section staff management; From the section on counter and rack inspection; What the handbook does not do; The staff manageress's part in the training; Page 6 An idea from Lincoln store simplifies the control of ladies' hosiery understocks; Page 7 Does initial training need re-thinking?; Starting the new girl; Not too much, not too little; Learning by doing; The handbook as a guiding line for training; Sharing the training; A proper introduction for the part-timer; Other people in the store; Following up; Page 10 Is this your problem too? - Imaginary letters about real situations; Page 13 Take care of the washing and the fabric will take care of itself; Customers are willing to listen; Explain the reason behind the rule; Page 15 Something different - a Fire Drill quiz; "Is that Marks & Spencer?" - article re telephone manners

Contents include: Holiday hangover; Staff training follow-up of floorwalkers training; Floorwalkers chart; How much do you know; Factors in industrial health; Have you tried this; Notes from New York; Britain's health; Mail bag; The French tour; Canteen catering.

Page 3 Three aspects of staff management; Questions to ask oneself; Page 5 Checking your organisation - list of reminders for Christmas; Page 6 Payments to part-time staff; Good planning = smoother running; Some suggestions for lightening the floor supervisor's load; Stockroom to understocks; Getting extra help to the point where it is needed; Keeping people informed; Page 9 Do all your staff know…; … the answer to these questions?; … the way to deal with these situations? … the time savers that apply to their own departments?; Page 10 Suggestions for the noticeboard about hours of work for Christmas

Page 2 Introduction by Mr Marcus Sieff : in 1960; Page 4 A time for re-assessment; Assessment is a partnership affair; A generalisation is not an assessment; Assessment should lead to action; Date of engagement interviews; Four useful safeguards for a fair assessment; Page 6 A training programme devised by Leicester store; Training of sales staff in readiness for the Christmas period; Team progress; Page 10 The quest for improvement is endless… Page 12 Are you fabric wise? - quiz on new materials that not only arouse interest but brought many queries from sales staff; Page 13 Getting the most out of group talks; Page 14 Ideas from stores are always welcome; Hints on store ordering; £60 per head saved in one year

Page 2 Making the most of experience; Let people make use of their experience; Help them to keep their enthusiasm; Provide an incentive; Encourage the girls to collect and assess useful information; Discuss customers' needs; Page 4 Making preparation for the holiday season; Page 6 A useful exercise in thinking - quotes from a course attended by three M & S supervisors at Holly Royde College near Manchester; Page 8 Quality control of foods; The St Michael standard is maintained by a series of checks; We aim to get our foods to the customer in the freshest condition; We have a working partnership with our suppliers; A baker's dozen of facts from the food group; Page 11 Is this your problem too? - Imaginary letters about retail situations; Page 14 A mixed bag of practical suggestions contributed by stores; Page 15 It makes you think - suggestion for the noticeboard; Page 16 Starting points for a discussion on service

Page 2 Service - is there room for improvement?; A lead from the top; Good service needs good organisation to back it up; Good service also needs effective supervision; Page 4 The saleswoman - study of attitudes and behaviour in retail distribution; Page 6 Our smokeless zone; Page 7 A different approach to talent spotting; Page 8 A reminder about advice notes; Page 9 The staff manageress and training; Choosing the people who will help to train; Fulfilling the requirements of the store; Making the best use of the time spent on the sales floor; Bringing in the experts; Page 11 When applications are sent in to the Welfare Committee - points for stores to take note of; Page 11 Are you well informed - fair questions; Page 12 Sales assistants are what we make them - by a staff manageress; Page 13 Finishing school - a new version - a few straight tips; More charm for everyone; What about the staff in your store?; Page 15 Out of the suggestions folder - ideas received by the suggestions committee; Page 16 Starting points for a discussion on shrinkage

Page 2 Referring to the Chairman's speech; Page 4 Fire prevention is everyone's responsibility; A core of well-trained people; Briefing newcomers; Theoretical knowledge is not enough; Fire drills; Endangering lives; Can we influence our neighbours; Page 6 Promotion of goodwill; Page 8 When the washing doesn't come up like new - fabrics; It may interest you to know that… Page 10 Holiday time for seaside stores and holiday time for inland stores; Page 11 Work and play - moving to a new store; Page 13 The personal word - "Please can we have something for the noticeboard on appearance?"; Page 14 Out of the suggestions folder - displaying ladies' blouses

Contents include: The 'Staff Bulletin'; Citizens advice notes; Holiday exchanges; Training follows the times; Sports and social suggestions; The new wage rate; Have you tried this?; Questions they all ask; Canteen catering.

Two folders marked 'Staff Management News. Reprints of selected articles'. Each folder contains articles arranged under the headings 'Training', 'Staff Management & Welfare', 'Store & HO Organisation', 'Leisure & Outside Interests' and 'Miscellaneous'.