Isn't it ironic that not only are Nurses leaving the NHS to get better pay at Lidl, if they get sick while working for the EU supermarket, they won't have to wait months in NHS queues either.
I was told this after talking to a chap working the Lidl checkout who had to ask me why I was buying three packs of pain killers. I explained that I'd had tooth ache on and off for eighteen months and was on a three year waiting list for an NHS dentist. The checkout guy had a similar story and sympathised, but said his dental problem was sorted out quickly as Lidl provided private health cover for their employees.
So why is it that German companies care so much about their staff? Paying relatively high wages and providing excellent terms and conditions for their staff could be pure altruism, but, more likely, they are generous because they have the wisdom to realise that a healthy and fairly paid workforce is happier, more loyal, works harder and, above all, staff are less likely to have to have long perperiods off sick if they are looked after properly.
It's interesting what you learn about a business when you talk to people at the checkout, so when you next go shopping, why not ask them what they think of the company they work for and then compare how employers differ in their approach to the welfare of their employees...
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