Fujitsu Services looks beyond the definition of the traditional nuclear family when providing benefits, primarily for commercial reasons.
Alison Dalley, head of reward at Fujitsu Services, says: "We want the best and most appropriate talent to work for us, and this comes from a variety of sources. The nuclear family is not as prevalent as it used to be so we have had to react to the differing requirements of our employee population." The IT provider has achieved this largely by granting greater flexibility to its 14,000-strong workforce. For example, employees can trade holiday days, increase or decrease pension contributions, and buy healthcare screening for their partners through Fujitsu's flex scheme, Your Choices. Staff can also ask to work flexibly.
Dalley is also looking into the possibility of introducing help with eldercare. In the meantime, employees have access to an employee assistance programme, which provides advice on sources of eldercare, among other things.
She believes it is impossible to divorce an employee from their family environment. "Lets face it, people don't live to work but work to live, so we are focused on work-life balance. We try to be as people-friendly as possible, whether that is individual-friendly, family-friendly or just employee-friendly. We do whatever we can to attract and retain talent," she says.
