When law firm Ashton Morton Slack rebranded in May 2005, it decided to look at introducing a new package of flexible benefits as part of a wider drive to help it improve staff performance, recruitment and retention.
With a mixed culture of young staff, families and older workers it wanted to find out which benefits would be important at these different life stages.
A panel of employees representing a demographic cross-section of the organisation was set up to give feedback on the current benefits package and what they would like to see change. From this feedback, the firm generated a list of potential benefits. Working with flexible benefits provider You at Work, an online survey was distributed to the whole of its workforce asking for views on these proposed benefits. Employees were also asked how they would prefer to receive information about the benefits package going forwards.
Since the new package has been introduced, the firm has seen staff turnover cut by 40%, recruitment costs down by a third and the take-up of childcare vouchers has doubled. The company now intends to conduct regular surveys and use focus groups to ask staff for their views.
