Testimonials

John Evans, Superintendent Pharmacist

Despite being a trained and highly experienced Pharmacist, John joined us in 1994 as a General Store Manager! Two years later we decided we could manage our Pharmacies a lot better than the business we outsourced to. So we took over. And to take over running the operation? Well, there was only one man for the job!

John’s got the sort of passion, drive and ambition we look for in all our Pharmacists. He’s helped us take on the Pharmaceutical industry and the government so that we can deliver the highest standards the ASDA way.

“Our customers deserve for us to look after them, to provide lifestyle advice and pro-actively promote healthy living initiatives instead of just filling prescriptions. So long as it’s safe and legal, all of our Pharmacists are encouraged to do all they can for their communities. We give them autonomy and freedom, so if you’ve got an idea you can go out and do it. It’s about sharing your expertise, being approachable and wanting to get involved. You can do your own thing and control your own destiny. As a business we’re not afraid to challenge the status quo and do things differently. We’re looking for Pharmacists who are the same. ”

Shammi Nair, Pharmacy roll-out Project Manager

By August 2000, when Shammi joined us, we’d opened 21 Pharmacies. Over the next few years Shammi worked closely with John Evans to bring that total to 93. Now we’ve given him our trust, support and £4 million to deliver a 50% growth within the next year. A tall order? Not for Shammi!

“Because ASDA are open to innovative ideas and new ways of doing things, it’s a fantastic opportunity for me to explore different options. I travel to our stores to see where we could physically fit a Pharmacy in, working closely with architects and planners before negotiating the handover of the space. It’s up to me to make it work within the new rules for Pharmacies. For example, in one store, which didn’t meet the criteria, we trailed a ‘hatch’ system as a dispensary. In other areas it’s about influencing Store Managers and Regional Directors to let me do things my way!”

“Working with ASDA is new, fresh and exciting. Despite the size of the Pharmacy operation, there’s a real family feel. And you’re encouraged to make the most of your skills. Basically, the ball’s in your court. The opportunities are there. It’s up to you to take them.”

Denise Laidlow, Pharmacist

Denise didn’t exactly ‘choose’ to join ASDA. She was working with the business we took over and admits to being very apprehensive at first. But seven and a half years later she’s still here! What’s made her stay?

“It’s down to two things for me - the flexibility and the safety aspect. As a mum I really need a good work:life balance. So now I work my 45 hour contract over 4 days each week – I choose to work 1 Sunday in 3 and always work Bank Holidays and then take time off in lieu. I work alongside two part-time Pharmacists, both parents, so it’s easy to work our hours out between us.”

“The ‘overlap’ time – when I’m working but other Pharmacists are available to cover in store – is my chance to get out into the community. In fact, my work with the local PCT seems to have a life of its own! I sit on the Professional Executive Committee, take pre-reg students for placements and give a range of talks and presentations, from head lice advice in schools to a chat about cholesterol with the WI. And of course I run events in-store too, like diabetes screening and blood pressure checks.”

“A big bonus for me is the safety of the store environment. I’m no longer a key holder, there are security staff on site plus the support of the whole store team. I don’t go to work scared anymore! And a really big difference is that now I only deal with medicines – I’m not expected to be there to sell other products! ASDA may be a massive shop, but here you’re certainly not a shopkeeper.”

Richard Langley, Speciality Programme Manager

Now, we’re hoping you might have worked with Richard at some point – because that’s how he came to work with us! After seeing a colleague he’d worked with before in one of our adverts, Richard phoned him for a chat, found out a bit more about ASDA and joined us in 2002 with 10 years’ experience.

“I started in-store as a Pharmacist and found the ASDA culture a positive difference immediately. You’re part of a huge team, with lots of support – people are physically there for you, not just at the end of a phone. It’s a pleasant and safe environment to be in where customers soon become regulars! After all, you don’t go to a Pharmacy every week but you do go to the supermarket, so people often pop in to see me.”

“I particularly enjoyed the overlap time of about 8 hours each week. It frees you up to get out of the store to study or work out in the community. You can do what you like with the time if it benefits the store, either through your own professional development or through running events like Healthy Eating weeks or diabetes workshops.”

“In this new role I’m very much the link between the Pharmacists in store and our head office ASDA House. I get out in the field, meeting people, helping to tackle any issues and launching new initiatives. It’s been a great career move for me and has opened my eyes to all the options available at ASDA and in ASDA House. If you want to move on and maybe into different areas of the business, the opportunities are definitely there.”

Fran and Len Clay, Job Share Pharmacists

Fran and Len are a match made in heaven both personally and professionally! As busy parents, working on a Job Share basis certainly works for them. Fran was already working with the company we took over, and it didn’t take her long to talk Len into joining us when she realised just how flexible and family-friendly ASDA is!

“We can set our own rotas and decide who’s going to work when. We both do 45 hours each week, and we might split it so that one of us works days and the other takes over for the afternoon/evening shift. Or, in school holidays, we work split weeks, one of us taking Monday to Wednesday and the other Thursday to Saturday.”

“It gives us the best of both worlds. We both enjoy making the most of the overlap time and we’ve been heavily involved in the government’s Working Families Initiative. We’ve had afternoon tea with Cherie Blair at Number 10 and lunch with Tony Blair on another occasion where they served ASDA sandwiches!”

“For us it’s the flexibility and the benefits of working with such a big business that works so well for us. We enjoy the environment, the team working and the high professional standards ASDA always delivers.”

Eid Mohammed, Pharmacist

Eid’s been with us for five years and enjoys the support and encouragement of the ASDA team.

“A major difference about working with ASDA is that so much is done for you. I don’t have to worry about recruiting staff or cashing up and I’m not expected to sell non-pharmacy products. It means I can get on with my job and one of my first surprises was that ASDA really do take your suggestions on board. There are looser boundaries and no restrictions on your work. I make the most of my overlap time by building links with local doctors and schools and even by checking out the competition to see how we can improve our services.”

“As a family man I find the flexible working hours a real bonus too. I’m currently on the 45 hour contract which allows me to work 4 days on then 3 days off. But there’s always the chance to go part-time or even take a career break. Even the breaks within the working day are more generous than I’ve had before!”

“There’s nothing you can’t do at ASDA. I’m heavily involved in running a Methadone clinic and I feel I get genuine respect from the rest of the store team. Working with ASDA is like being part of much bigger community, you’ve the support of the Speciality team and the Superintendent Pharmacist but you’ve also the freedom to improve the business any way you see fit. It’s a refreshing change!”

Shaukat Ali, Pharmacist

Shaukat qualified in July 2006 and initially worked with another business. But he felt he had no support, was ‘thrown in at the deep end’ and was expected to manage his own Pharmacy with no training and no time to learn the ropes. Now, isn’t that when you need your big brother! So Shaukat’s brother Eid stepped in and brought his sibling to work in the same ASDA store as himself. And Shaukat noticed the difference straight away!

“I felt that I had a lot of support from the start. I had proper training to let me manage the Pharmacy and could see that there would be a lot of opportunities for me to pursue my professional development, using the overlap time especially to grow my skills. I enjoy the safety of the store, the fact that I’m not there on my own. And we have so much autonomy, for example to choose how many staff we need, to call in a Locum if we need to and, of course, to fit our hours around our family commitments.”

“ASDA pay a very competitive rate for newly-qualified Pharmacists, which I know others don’t. They expect you to work your way up to a decent salary, without giving you the training or support to do so. It’s quite the opposite here!”

Zahid Hussain, Pharmacist

Zahid (also known as Syd) had been a Locum for several years before joining us permanently in 2002. He’d been working evenings in an ASDA store and liked the culture and atmosphere so much he didn’t just apply for a job himself, he also recommended us to his nephew! Now the two work together in our Rotherham store where they split their hours to work one week on, one week off.

“I joined ASDA because I loved the atmosphere and I felt it was the right move for me. As a Locum I knew I could earn more money, but here I have fantastic flexible hours and solid benefits like the share save scheme and pension, which give me real peace of mind.”

“I’m an active member of both the LPC and PCT, which ASDA actively encourages. I’ve been able to gain funding for late night opening to 10pm, which is unique in this area, and also to set up an Out of Hours service for emergency access to the Pharmacy. You really can go out and do what you want to do with ASDA. I use my overlap time to run events like fitness days or blood pressure days and I also run a No Smoking clinic every evening except Fridays, when I’m there in the mornings.”

“This is to leave me free for Friday prayers, an important part of my Muslim faith which ASDA is incredibly supportive of. They have a great respect for my beliefs and I take time accordingly to practise my religion. I feel I couldn’t do all of this if I was running my own shop, which I intended to do. But why have the hassle of that when you can run your ASDA Pharmacy as your own business anyway with fantastic support and excellent Standard Operating Procedures? I feel that I look after ASDA and they look after me, which seems pretty fair to me!”