Jaguar Land Rover

The overview

With a presence in more than 170 countries worldwide, and some 19,000 employees in the UK alone, Jaguar Land Rover is one of the world’s best-known car manufacturers. It is owned by Indian automotive giant Tata Motors, and is composed of two iconic British vehicle brands: sports car make Jaguar and four-by-four specialist Land Rover. The two marques were originally independent, but were acquired by Ford Motors and set up as a combined company in 2002; this was subsequently bought by Tata in 2008. Since then, the brands have remained under the same management company, though they effectively operate separately and have their own product lines.

Brands

Jaguar was originally founded in 1922 under the name Swallow Sidecar.

A luxury sports car brand, Jaguar was originally founded in 1922 under the name Swallow Sidecar; the Jaguar name was first introduced in 1935, when the SS Jaguar 2.5-litre saloon was launched. Its vehicles went on to achieve track success and critical acclaim, and its founder William Lyons was knighted in 1956 for services to the British motoring industry. In present times, Jaguar exports nearly 70% of the cars it makes to various countries around the world. Model lines include the XK, XJ and XF families.

Land Rover began life in 1948 as a Rover model, the prototype of which was based on the chassis of a military Jeep. From a single model, it quickly evolved into a well-known marque with a range of different models, many of which were (and still are) used for major adventure and science expeditions. Various military models such as the Land Rover Wolf, the Snatch Land Rover and the ‘Llama’ have also been developed over the years. It is now a luxury brand, and includes the Freelander, Defender, Discovery and Range Rover families.

Aiming sales at high-earning women.

Salary and benefits

In 2012, graduates will receive a starting salary of £28,000. This will increase annually depending on performance.

According to High Fliers Research, the average starting salary in 2011 for graduates in the engineering and industrial sectors was £24,500 – so Jaguar Land Rover's starting salary is well above the industry average.

Other benefits

• 26 days’ holiday per annum.
• A £2,000 joining bonus.
• Pension scheme, including permanent disability/death benefit.
• Discount car purchase scheme – available to employees and some of their family members.
• Access to sports facilities such as a gym and sports hall (at some sites).
• On-site crèche (at some sites).
• Payroll-giving scheme.
• Flexible working options including homeworking, job sharing and variable hours.
• Chance to participate in sustainability projects, such as a two-week Earthwatch trip to Kenya to help study endangered species.

Culture and values

In characterising the company’s culture, employees tend to use words such as ‘friendly’ and ‘helpful’. Working environments seem to vary by role, with some more office-based and others spending more time on the production floor, but in either case there is a decided lack of hierarchy in day-to-day working. Managers work alongside their more junior colleagues, and most are happy to answer any questions or give advice if they can.

‘Hard-working’, ‘inspiring’ and ‘fast-paced’ are also terms used by staff members to describe the company’s working culture, so prospective employees should be aware that they will need to put the effort in to do well here; slackers need not apply.

Working hours at Jaguar Land Rover

Comments from employees suggest that there is a healthy work-life balance at Jaguar Land Rover. The company states that it operates a standard 40-hour week, but depending on site and role, this may involve shift work – so actual working hours can vary considerably. Staff are also encouraged to be ‘flexible’ in their approach to managing their workload, so its entirely possible that longer hours may come up during busy periods.

80% of staff say they're proud to work there.

The company aims for all its salaried employees to have two management appraisals each year, during which their performance will be reviewed against previous objectives, and any training or performance goals will be set. The outcome of these reviews will be used to determine pay rises and bonus levels, so it’s an important part of the career development process. For graduates, these formal reviews are also supplemented by frequent catch-ups with line managers, to make sure they are on track and to address any issues that may arise.

Social events

Employees say that there is a good social scene at the company, particularly among the graduate population. Some graduates share houses (arranged via a dedicated graduate scheme Facebook page), and there are usually various social outings and sports teams to get involved with at each site. Graduates also have access to the graduate association, which organises larger social occasions and outings.

Charity events are also a key part of the more social side of the company, with various events held on a regular basis to raise money and support charities. Previous events have included:

• Convoy for Heroes, a Land Rover convoy event to raise money for Help for Heroes.
• The Charity Shield, a football tournament to raise money for Comic Relief.
• A dinner dance to raise money for 11 different charities nominated by employees.

Employee engagement

The company carries out a survey of salaried employees each year, to get feedback on subjects such as job satisfaction, training, management and benefits. The survey findings are used to help devise new internal policies.

A number of other methods are also used to help support employee engagement, including:

• Employee magazine, ‘Team Talk’.
• Intranet facilities.
• Long service dinner and gift for employees after 25 and 40 years of continuous service.
• Performance rewards such as vouchers for company products.
• Regular business performance presentations.

Its employee engagement efforts have won the company recognition in the Best Companies Guide. According to a Best Companies survey, 80% of Jaguar Land Rover staff said they were proud to work for the company.

Diversity

According to the company’s 2009/10 sustainability report:

• Women accounted for 8% of the overall workforce. Ethnic minorities also accounted for 8%.
• Women represented 12% of management roles, and ethnic minorities 5%.

The company is working to increase its workforce diversity with initiatives aimed at attracting and supporting women and ethnic minorities. Among these is a women’s leadership programme developed in collaboration with the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (SEMTA). The scheme includes leadership workshops and personal development training, and more than 120 women have joined the scheme since its introduction in 2009.

The company also holds annual diversity and inclusion awards, to recognise individual employees and teams who have promoted diversity within the organisation.