It was a wonderful moment and one that I will not forget soon.

posted by Sara Metcalfe
14 October 2015

I originally heard about the position from my sister, Stacey, who was working at Clarks as a Product Development Manager. Clarks appealed to me for its long-rooted history and strong core values. There are not many companies that have been around for 190 years. 

Clarks is a stable, accommodating workplace that offers plenty of great benefits and growth opportunities. I love working for a brand that people revere for quality and standards, and I greatly enjoy the people that I work with. Clarks is different in that we truly value individuals.  Some of my colleagues have worked with Clarks their entire lives, upwards of 45 years, which is a true testament to the values and integrity of the organization.

The culture at Clarks is one that’s open and transparent. Waking up each day excited to go to work and spend time with your colleagues is fantastic. We’re a team in the truest sense and collaboration is not only prevalent, but also encouraged. One of the greatest things about working here is the open access to growth opportunities.

Vertical movements are common in any corporate setting, but at Clarks there’s the added ability to develop across functions. It’s quite common to hear of a Clarks employee growing outside of their original focus. In my own case, I’ve had the opportunity to attend multiple Step Forward Leadership training workshops. These were a really great way to learn various methods of management and communication skills.

Right now, I’m part of The Americas Retail Operations Department, which supports Full Price and Outlet Company owned stores across the United States and Puerto Rico. We’re responsible for strategic planning, tactical support, and internal communications. 

It’s a very exciting time for the Americas Retail channel.  Recently, we restructured the Americas retail communication programme. We’ve consolidated intermittent email messages from various group functions into a standardised and consistent weekly newsletter, The Footnotes are sent to stores each Wednesday afternoon in an easy-to-understand format. The feedback from our teams has been overwhelmingly positive, and we have seen measurable improvement in both compliance and continuity.

We also have a number of strategic initiatives for the back half of the year, including a Store Manager Council here in Boston, the Grand Opening of our first C7+ Full Price Store, and the completion of our first-ever Traffic Counting solution. Then there are the great steps we’ve taken in strategic planning through the end of the year. Many extra hours have been logged by the Team and me to ensure we execute and trade to our full capacity.

Probably my best highlight so far at Clarks has been my promotion to Manager last year by my supervisor at the time, Simon. He was nice enough to gather the entire Retail Team to present me with a bottle of champagne and share my accomplishment with the group. It was a wonderful moment and one that I will not forget soon. Thanks Simon!

The benefits at Clarks are wonderful. I receive  medical and dental coverage and the vacation policies are also quite generous. And the best part…discounted shoes…lots and lots of shoes! That’s particularly useful as I love to explore Boston, check out live music shows, and spend time with my family and friends. I also love to travel, and am currently planning a trip for the Fall… does anyone have any fun destination suggestions? 

Drew 
Retail Operations Manager - America

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