It seems that retail therapy might be less than therapeutic. In a survey earlier this month, many people said they experience "shopping rage". And what provokes shoppers most? Shop assistants who are surly, unhelpful and seem to prefer talking to each other. On the other hand, we do appreciate good service and we return for more of it. Roisin McBride, Head of Reward at ASDA (which, incidentally, was unable to 'reward' us with a photograph of Ms McBride), explains the hard work that goes into producing and ensuring service with a smile.

People expect a lot from the store that says it's 'always happy to help'. And Asda doesn't usually let them down.

Repeated accolades confirm that we lead the way in giving UK customers the prices and service they want.

It's no coincidence that it's also a great place to work. Recently voted a Top 10 UK Employer for the third year running, and Britain's Best Company to Work For in 2002 in a Sunday Times survey, Asda is quite clearly doing a lot of things right. And the profits reflect that too.

Just about everything that drives the business forward recognises a basic truism: that happy customers and happy employees (at Asda, they are called colleagues) are inextricably linked. 'Service with Personality' isn't just a pleasing slogan; it's an entire way of life.

The simple rationale is that if people enjoy their work and feel they are respected and valued, they will give of their best.

There can be few companies which would challenge that, but turning a worthy aim into reality is the tricky bit.

Staff loyalty and commitment happen by design, not by accident. Our challenge is that we have a workforce of 130,000 colleagues with different skills in 263 stores throughout the UK.

Everything we do is influenced by the knowledge that it is our people who make the difference. We try constantly to create a working environment that fully taps the potential of all our colleagues, as they are fundamental to our success.

Getting things done willingly and well probably sounds easy but it's very hard to achieve.

Communicating just about everything so that everyone receives a consistent message is a central tenet of the Asda philosophy. All teams across the business do the 'huddle' every day. This is not the latest dance craze but getting together in a circle to discuss the important issues. They might be results, targets, individual work plans or sharing the load if someone needs extra help.

The individuality of the separate stores is also considered important so corporate messages, directives and news will usually also reflect a local slant so that they seem more personal and involving.

Company directors don't sit around in head office but get out to visit stores on a regular basis to talk to colleagues. 'We're Listening' is the name of the attitude survey where every month of the year at least 25 stores feed back their comments on their store, their management team, their pay and benefits, their training, motivation and teamwork.

'Tell Tony' happens to be the most successful suggestion scheme in the UK. Founded in 1993, it has received more than 51,000 (around 5,200 a year, 100 a week) suggestions, comments and letters from colleagues.

We always listen and we're always improving, and because this industry moves very quickly, we have to watch what others are doing and react if we're going to stay at the top.

We take an equally innovative approach to recruitment. In a recent initiative, messages about a variety of job opportunities were placed on shelf labels, product stickers, queue dividers, mirrors and even toilet doors.

And when you join Asda, we don't just look at the person you are now, we look at who you could be in the future. From graduates down to seasonal colleagues, training is taken seriously and each individual is encouraged to go that bit further.

The Asda Job Ladder ensures everyone receives a structured programme that rewards training accomplishments and records them on a training record card that gives managers a measurement tool.

In public recognition of the work practices, the charity Parents at Work gave Asda the Employer of the Year' award in the large company category for its innovative working practices to help colleagues balance work and home commitments.

Last year the Castle Award recognised our commitment to promoting equal pay and opportunities for women.

And in another industry first, Asda has 22,000 colleagues aged 50 or over working in the stores, making it the UK's biggest employer of over 50s.

When the Prime Minister challenged UK employees to spend 60,000 days working in the community by 2003, Asda picked up the gauntlet. Many employees are now given time off to play an active role in the community.

But charity is also said to begin at home so Asda makes sure that its people benefit from what is an outstanding retail success story.

We run the largest Colleague Share Ownership plan (CSOP) of its kind in Britain with around 93,000 colleagues now holding Wal-Mart share options. The most recent payout in Spring 2003 saw thousands of colleagues pocket £13m worth of shares.

It's our people who make the difference.

Every colleague is vital to our success and we aim to ensure that everyone who works with us is rewarded fairly and in accordance with the effort and talent they bring to the table. Our objective is to have an environment that fully taps the potential of all colleagues.

It's about leading people, not just managing them. And as any leadership guru will tell you, the true test is what happens when you're not there, rather than when you are.

Our future is in everyone's hands.