Case Study: Eli Lilly
Setting up flex needn't be a bitter pill Excluding its field workers, pharmaceutical manufacturing company Eli Lilly has around 2,500 UK employees based across four sites.
Last April, it launched Lillyflex, a flexible benefits package for staff. This offers a wide range of benefits from life assurance, critical illness and salary sacrifice AVCs through to shopping vouchers, home computers and wellbeing benefits such as subsidised health screening and dental cover.
Julie Osman, director of benefits and pensions at Eli Lilly, says: "We interviewed all the service providers to check the cultural fit and service levels. After all, if there's a problem with service, our employees turn to us to resolve it." She also set up quarterly reporting with the providers. Osman then worked with the benefit providers to put together a launch programme, setting up roadshows. "Additionally, all the firms involved set up helplines to deal with staff questions," she explains.
Literature was branded with Lillyflex to ensure a strong message and this was supported by a website that employees could access on computers at work or home. The strategy certainly paid off. Some 73% actively selected their benefits when Lillyflex was launched and Osman is confident for the future.
