Key HR takeaways from John Lewis’ Christmas ad REVEALED

A highly anticipated event each Christmas is the release of festive adverts. This year’s John Lewis ad does more than celebrate the holiday, it shines a light on some important HR elements.

This year’s video focusses on 14-year-old Nathan who meets an unexpected guest in the forest. Skye who is a space traveller crash lands in her spaceship behind Nathan’s home in the woods.

During the two-minute clip, viewers witness their friendship develop as Skye experiences her very first Christmas, from eating mince pies to decorating the tree.

But what key learnings does the latest advert from the department store offer for employers and their HR teams?

Sense of belonging

The festive clip highlights the importance of belonging, as Nathan doesn’t hesitate to welcome his unexpected guest.

Similarly, ensuring employees feel like they belong is a critical part of a workplace’s culture, particularly as recent data from Connectr found that around 16 million employees are currently facing feelings of isolation in their company.

Due to this, three quarters of those employees stated that they would consider leaving their role in the next 12 months, highlighting how critical building a sense of belonging within an organisation is.

This may be more pertinent than ever now too as employees balance a hybrid way of working, while other employees may have been onboarded remotely as a result of the pandemic, which could leave many feeling isolated as they work away from their peers.

Therefore, working to eliminate these feelings by creating team-bonding events and crucial 1-2-1s could make all the difference to tackle this potential crisis.

Diversity and inclusion

Secondly, the advert reveals the importance of embracing diversity and inclusion (D&I), something many HR teams are placing high on their agenda.

In fact, a report from the Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA) and Mercer Marsh Benefits (MMB) shared that 78% of HR teams and boards consider diversity, equality and inclusivity (DEI) as a priority at board level.

There are also many business benefits to boosting D&I, as Nokia’s head of inclusion and diversity, Anneli Karlstedt, previously told Reward Strategy that "having a diverse employee base is invaluable to ensure renewal, a breadth of perspectives and to avoid group think".

And John Lewis’s advert captures this as Nathan accepts and welcomes Skye onto planet Earth without question.

Mental health

Lastly, Nathan’s caring attitude towards Skye – from showing her how to eat a mince pie to offering her his Christmas jumper when she left once her spaceship was fixed – epitomises the importance of caring for employees and their mental wellbeing.

And prioritising employees’ mental wellbeing is ringing true with employers, as XpertHR revealed earlier this year that 59% of UK firms are now offering mental health support for their team members.

As the pandemic exasperated mental health worries, such as increasing anxiety, stress and burnout, tackling the issue is still much needed within businesses as we approach the latter stages of the crisis.

Vicki Field, HR consulatant at the London Doctors Clinic, concured with this, as she explained to Reward Strategy: "The effects of a world-wide pandemic on mental health is immense; lack of socialising, money worries, home-schooling, worries about employment/furlough/job losses; it all amounts to a tidal wave of potential issues and stresses."

If you haven’t watched the advert yet, you can check out the clip below.

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Image credit: John Lewis