Is John Lewis the best company i n

Is John Lewis the best company i n Britain to work for?
by Jon Henley
It is owned by its employees - or partners 20
- who have a say in how it is run and
receive a share of the projlts. Surelv
this is the way every organis{//ion
by someone who really knows what
they ' re t a l k i n g about a n d , most
unusually of all. is eager to help.
U n l ike other high-street names,
5 should be ntn? John Lewis is owned by its employees.
lt's just before opening t i me on
bonus day at John Lewis and. boy. arc
we excited. Up and down the country,
the 69 ,000 people who work for the
10 nation's favourite retailer arc gathered,
impat ien t . A specially chosen staff
member opens an envelope and reads
out a number. Fifteen per cent. It's the
percentage of their salary that each
IS John Lewis employee takes home as
that year's bonus.
25 each of whom has a say in its running
and a share i n its profits. This is
Britain's largest example of worker
co-owners h i p . Its purpose is ''the
happiness of all its members. through
30 t h e i r wort h w h i l e and s a t i s fy i ng
employment in a successful business''.
''11 's a good company to work for."
says Pedro. a Waitrose* chef. "I didn't o