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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.
This month, we have been spotlighting women who advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion. We have shared our Instagram with female talent Gemma Adby and Rachael Naome. Gemma is a model with a disability who began her career to raise awareness & advocate change. Rachael is the cofounder of BLACKINKCINEMA a platform dedicated to the celebration of everything Black Cinema, that offers an enjoyable way to bridge the gap between audiences and the industry. On Friday night, we celebrated Women’s History Month with a special film screening of The Colour Purple, hosted by schuh and Black Ink Cinema. We partnered with For Us Film and began the screening with a showcase of 2 short films by black female directors Mena Fombo and Reneque Samuels. For Us Film is a short film platform dedicated to viewers and black creatives that offers opportunities for filmmakers to create, showcase and collaborate. Internally, we have been encouraging everyone to celebrate women’s achievements, to raise awareness about discrimination and to take action to drive gender equality. We have spotlighted women in schuh that inspire us every day. In line with our brand values, we promote inclusivity and aim to create a welcoming environment for all.
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.
