Tesco asks managers to be polite to staff to show it 'really cares'

Chief executive Matt Davies says move 'is about celebrating success and the power of appreciation'

"There is power in saying thank you and of spotting somebody doing a job well and appreciating that" (AFP)

Tesco is asking its managers to be more polite when dealing with staff as part of efforts to show the multi-national supermarket giant “really cares”.

Speaking at the Retail Week Live conference in London, UK and Ireland chief executive Matt Davies said the firm had been stressing the need for simple manners in staff workshops and senior management had also been trying to lead by example, the Guardian reported.

“It is about celebrating success and the power of appreciation. There is power in saying thank you and of spotting somebody doing a job well and appreciating that,” he said.

“This is not about a training programme but developing a culture of appreciating one another.”

Mr Davies joined Tesco a year ago from Halfords, the bike and car parts chain.

He said he had been taken aback by the pleasant management culture within Tesco.

“I don’t think that warmth is apparent from the outside and part of our challenge is how we demonstrate how much we really care to the nation,” he said.

However Mr Davis said Tesco, which reported a record £6.4bn loss in April last year, was still operating in a highly competitive market.

“Is it getting any easier? No, not really,” he said. “It’s still a tough market and being hard-fought right across the UK.”