McDonald’s Restaurants and the John Lewis Partnership have been using technology to make their total reward statements (TRS) relevant to their mobile and diverse employee bases.
Neal Blackshire, benefits and compensation manager at McDonald’s Restaurants, and Jon C White, manager, leisure activities, leisure benefits at John Lewis Partnership, shared their experiences in a session at Employee Benefits Live 2011 on 27 September.
With the majority of employees at both organisations working in shops without access to computers, the delivery of total reward statements had to take on a different approach.
McDonald’s Restaurants had been providing paper total reward statements for five years. The statements are packaged as a brochure and delivered to employees’ homes. Blackshire added: “It shows we care about them and makes sure they share them with their families.”
The benefits on offer at McDonald’s Restaurants are also promoted via posters, weekly emails, and the organisation’s intranet which can be access in the staff rooms at each location.
John Lewis Partnership has 75,000 employees, 500 locations and a largely shop-floor-based staff. White said: “This makes the dissemination of the message very challenging.”
Promoting its voluntary benefits scheme, sponsorship of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and its defined benefit (DB) pension scheme, John Lewis Partnership’s total reward statements have been in place since April 2011.
The organisation is committed to paper statements but has also added QR codes to its total reward statements, allowing employees with smartphones (55% of staff) to scan the code and be immediately directed to online details of all benefits.
“It makes flat information more engaging,” said White. “Every employee has a different way of engaging. If we put all our eggs in one basket we will miss out. Our employees are comfortable with technology but you have to ask what works for your organisation.”
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