Office supplies firm Acco is to standardise its company car policy across Europe to streamline the benefit and improve its green credentials.
Each of the 15 European countries in which it operates, including France, Germany, Italy and several in eastern Europe, previously ran its own scheme, often with several providers and varying policies.
Acco's new standard offering will use just two providers. Its company-owned car scheme will be gradually transformed into a mix of a grey fleet, with the company paying a fixed mileage allowance to employees using their own cars on business; and leasing arrangements.
The changes were communicated to its 435 UK staff in September via workshops.
The first company car driver will switch to the new scheme in January. Others will follow as their fleet contracts expire and it will be rolled out to 765 workers in the rest of Europe in February.
Claire Targonski, Acco's European compensation and benefits manager, said most UK staff would have switched to the new scheme by 2011.
"Our policy was out of date and we wanted a greener element. We have reduced the number of bands [of cars] for people to choose from and have stopped people trading up [to less-efficient cars], because it goes against what we are trying to achieve."
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