The photo below shows M&S Windsor store staff on holiday at Dymchurch holiday camp in Kent in 1936. There was a growing understanding that proper rest and recreation were important if employees were to give their best to their work.
The staff welfare department offered inexpensive camping holidays with weekly deductions from wages to make it easier to pay. There were also sports clubs, amateur dramatics societies and staff concerts. This created a genuine sense of belonging, which is one of the reasons why so many M&S employees spent their entire working life with the Company. Employees have been recognised for their long service since 1918. The first formal ceremony was held in 1948. Long service celebrations are still held regularly at Head Office for staff who have worked at M&S for 25 or 40 years.