Vision Express diploma is reward for high achievers

Employees from Vision Express travelled to Paris last week and became the first to receive a new 'diploma', which rewards customer achievement in the French owned-parent group.
In what will be seen as the latest and one of the wide-ranging company merit programmes in the profession, GrandVision, the pan-European optometry group, presented the newest component of its staff appraisal scheme to a handful of 'associates' - the company's term for its 7,500 employees.
The evening represented the latest in big business valuing its staff; those rewarded won the attention of the group as well as receiving prizes made from pure gold.
Daniel Abittan, chief executive officer at GrandVision summed up the new diploma: 'This is not an act of bravado on our part - we are doing it because it is in our best interests. Of course we run the risk of losing our best-trained people to our competitors: our everyday challenge is to do everything within our power to keep them. But we prefer running the risk of excellence rather than the certainty of mediocrity, and we refute those companies who diminish their associates.'
The diploma builds on a scheme which already has bronze, silver and gold levels, and not only is it is open to its UK and Ireland multiple, but to its other retail brands, including GrandOptical and Generale D'Optique which have over 100 outlets each and employ 2,281 and 1,261 respectively.
In September a short list of 17 candidates - five from Vision Express and six each from GrandOptical and Gnrale D'Optique attended a day-long test in two separate locations, in France and in the UK.
'When they arrived little did they know what lay ahead of them,' Jackie Bonithon, director people development at GrandVision, told optician. 'A jury of experts was ready to scrutinise their every move, as well as a team of professional actors to test them.'
The examination included role plays, intensive product workshops, and local awareness marketing. For role playing, GrandVision hired actors to make life difficult for the candidates, and during the day they participated in three different situations, each lasting half an hour.
'Nothing was left to chance, we really did put them through their paces,' said Bonithon.
'Not only did we ask them to handle these situations to perfection, but also to ensure the dissatisfied customer becomes our strongest advocate and ambassador.'
Following this test the 17 were narrowed down to seven who attended last week's inaugural ceremony, held at the prestigious La Maison des Arts et Metiers. Professor Steve Parrish, who helps with the training of VE staff, and renowned designer Alain Mikli, who presented the diplomas, attended, as well as representatives from GrandVision's board.
Among the seven who achieved diploma status were Darren Ellis, who is the assistant store manager (lab) for Vision Express Merryhill and has been with Vision Express for nine years, and Phil Luke, who is the assistant lab manager for Vision Express Middlesbrough, and has been with Vision Express for five years.
Ellis had 'demonstrated a very high level of expertise' when dealing with a very difficult customer. He was in the words of the actor involved, 'comforting and reassuring, and focused on the issue at hand'.
Luke was described by one of the professional actors involved as 'the boss', and when talking to a 'new colleague' he was composed and recommended a well explained training plan. 'He really re-motivated me' said the actor.
Others to receive the GrandVision Diploma were Marie Claude Bridon, Carole Robin (GrandOptical) and Pascal Depres, Bertand Guillaume, Myriam Parra (Gnrale D'Optique). One of the others rewarded, Parra, was particularly praised for concentrating on the sale of progressive lenses from her Gnrale D'Optique outlet, and in her store the sales of this type of lenses has increased by 2 per cent in a single year.
In conclusion, Abittan told the ceremony: 'The tradition in our company is to train and allow each person to develop at their own pace. In return, each of us has the responsibility to train and pass on our knowledge.'
The company has high hopes that this new annual prize will motivate Vision Express staff and its other 'associates' to extend themselves, and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.