Offering enhanced optical services to customers in candidate attraction. We have also launched a new page
the community means ensuring all our optometrists to our careers site in the UK. Life at Specsavers (http://
are educated and accredited to deliver those services. jobs.specsavers.co.uk/life-at-specsavers/) is aimed at
In the UK, we embarked on the largest post-graduate providing an insight into what it is really like to be part
accreditation drive ever attempted in optics, and in less of the Specsavers family. The page features employee
than a year, more than 2,000 optometrists had been fully spotlights, ‘days in the life of…’ and topical business
accredited to look after minor eye conditions, having news. We are currently building on the UK strategy,
completed their Level 1 and Level 2 MECs (minor eye with a view to implementing it in our other territories
conditions) accreditation with WOPEC (Wales Optometry in order to develop a global brand presence.
Postgraduate Education Centre).
A great place to work
We also focused on the detection and management To truly be a great place to work, we need to know what
of glaucoma –the world’s leading cause of irreversible our people think and feel about working here and to
blindness – and by the end of February 2017, more than listen to their suggestions for improvement. This year, our
1,900 Specsavers optometrists had completed the Level annual engagement survey, Insight, went completely global
1 glaucoma accreditation and were moving on to study for the first time, with store teams across Australia, New
for Level 2. This reflects what is an extraordinary time Zealand, Finland, Norway and Sweden joining the process.
of change in our industry as we continue to expand the This enabled 24,727 people – partners, manufacturing
healthcare services we offer. and distribution site staff, store staff and support office
teams alike – to have their say. This year we introduced
The recruitment blog Spectrum (specsavers-spectrum. added customisation, with tailored questions for different
com) has been relaunched in the UK as an online ‘club’ populations to make them more relevant, as well as
for all optometrists, whether or not they are associated some core questions to allow comparison across groups.
with Specsavers. For optoms who sign up, it offers Sustainable engagement was high, with store teams at 88%
news, free online CET modules, exclusive news about globally – seven points above the global retail average. And
developments in optics, professional-development in our support offices we had really high support for our
modules, selected ProFile journal content and access vision and values (95%) and our willingness to go above
to certain Specsavers CET events such as the PAC. Club and beyond what is normally expected (95%).
members will be emailed regularly with updates.
Specsavers in the UK has been accredited for a further
We have introduced social media to our recruitment three years with Investors in People status. We had
activities in the UK, using channels such as LinkedIn, some very positive feedback from the assessors,
Facebook and Twitter to increase brand awareness and including recognition that there is a clear commitment to
Satvinder Soomal, Head of Enhanced Optical Services, giving a lecture at an optical industry event.