Pret a Manger's Rigorous Management Selection Process: From Application to Training

Pret a Manger's management selection process begins with a competency-based application form, which describes the qualities required to be a manager and asks the applicant to give examples of how their own behavior matches up. Shortlisted candidates are invited to a first interview, which looks at these competencies in more detail. A personality questionnaire and tests of verbal and numerical reasoning are completed. Candidates are clearly instructed as to the purpose of the tests and how the results can be used for feedback and development.

After the first interview, candidates are invited to an assessment day. The day starts at 6.30am for an on-job experience session, when candidates arrive at a selected Pret a Manger branch. Over the next two hours the candidates get a flavor of what life is like in the branch. Under supervision from the branch team they make sandwiches, serve customers, and do any other jobs that need doing. The candidates get to talk to existing staff and get the opportunity to find out whether they fit in the Pret a Manger environment.

The rest of the day is spent at the assessment center. At this point the test results looking at personal characteristics and abilities are discussed with the candidates. The tests help pinpoint a candidate's potential strengths and weaknesses, and the interview time can be utilized to explore these. All unsuccessful candidates are given feedback on their performance on the assessment day. The candidates are given suggestions as to what activities they may find beneficial to help improve themselves. The feedback also highlights the areas in which they are strong. The company will only promote when a candidate is ready for a management role, irrespective of length of service.

Successful candidates join as Managers in Training. The development process starts with the results of the psychometric tests which allow the Training Manager to tailor the training programme to each individual. Training resources are thus focused where they are needed most, and the new managers become effective in a shorter time.

Area Training Manager General Manager Assistant Manager Manager in Training Team Leader NSOTrainer Barista Team Member Star Team member Team Member Trainer

The company endeavors to ensure that the management selection process is fair and objective for both internal and external candidates and that existing employees who are not successful in the management selection process on that occasion are not demotivated but continue to de be developed for the future. To this end, the psychometric tests results are discussed with the unsuccessful internal candidates and used as the basis for personal development plan that is designed to give them the chance to succeed in the future. The line manager and the training department are involved in providing the opportunities to learn and practice new ways of working but, of course, ultimately it is the individual's motivation and effort that drives the process and determines the outcome.

Retail Management Roles At Pret (from Pret's Web site)

Operations Manager (OM): Our OMs each oversee a group of between 7 - 11 shops. They look after and work with the managers and teams in their area, leading and inspiring and overseeing standards.

General Manager (GM): Pret a Manger GMs are accountable for their own shop in every respect, with a focus on delivering the current year's plan and shaping the next, and on the training, career development and welfare of their teams. The GM is a role model in their shop for ensuring the very best standards of care for both customers and our people, in line with the core values and principles of Pret.

Assistant Manager (AM): The AM's main responsibility is to ensure the smooth running of the shop, whilst motivating the team and offering Pret customers the best standards of service. Following the lead of the GM, they should act as a role model in their shop, ensuring the very best standards of care for both customers and our people in line with the core values and principles of Pret. ‘

Highly competitive salaries and an average annual bonus of up to 15% are offered together with a working environment which values employees and seeks to promote openness, honesty, and growth and development. The average salary, with bonuses, of assistant managers is £27,150, and of general managers, £36,650; the latter get private medical insurance and 33 days’ holiday a year.

In addition to those terms, many long-serving store managers have equity in the company, and few work nights or weekends -- which is a rarity in the restaurant.

Management at Head Office: Pret's head office is in London and the team there consists of people specialized in the following areas: Business Planning * Customer Services * Finance * Food Development * Human Resources * Information Technology * Marketing * Property * Shops Support * Supply Chain * Training & Development.

In order that the executives see how the policies they set affect employees and shop managers, newly hired managers work in a shop for two weeks. Every Pret manager is required to spend four days a year on the shop floor. Each staff member has his or her ‘buddy’ shop. Each shop's ‘buddy’ also serves as an informal conduit back to headquarters. Generating fast feedback for its headquarters is especially important as Pret expands beyond its native England.