By Jacqueline Benjamin
Autumn is well and truly here. As the cold weather sets in and the clocks go back it can be harder than ever to motivate your staff and keep them feeling positive and engaged. With this in mind it’s worth considering which employee benefits will best resonate with your staff at this time of year and have them bouncing positively into the winter months. Here are our recommendations for autumn’s best employee benefits:
Take advantage of the autumn travel dealsAutumn getaways are popular, whether for those trying to extend their access to summer sun, or families taking advantage of the October half term. However, flights can be pricey. Give your employees a helping hand by providing them with access to great deals on flights and accommodation through an employee discount portal. Shopping around for travel deals can be a bit of a faff at the best of times, so make this even easier for them by offering a concierge service to take care of the hard part! Additional perks such as a travel concierge offering upgrades & late checkouts can make all the difference.
Healthy body, healthy mindIt can be challenging to stay active as the clocks go back. Gone are the plans to get ‘beach ready’ and who wants to hit the gym after dark? Yet, maintaining a healthy body can make a huge difference to employee motivation and mental wellbeing. Indeed, it was recently reported that just one hour of exercise a week could help stave off depression. The good news is that encouraging your team to stay fit and healthy this autumn doesn’t have to revolve around going to the gym (even though there are some great discounts at both local and national gyms). There is a raft of other offers that can be included in an employee discounts scheme, from vouchers for outdoor exercise sessions in the park, to money off weekend walking trips.
Get ready for Oscar season…Autumn happens to be one of the best times of year to go to the cinema. Not only is the cinema well suited to those early autumnal evenings but it also marks the beginning of Oscar season. This is when Hollywood studios release their more critically acclaimed films, hoping to win at the Academy Awards. Encourage your staff to take advantage of this by offering discounts at local and national cinemas. The best employee discounts schemes will already offer money off of all of the major cinema chains (including the likes of Vue, Cineworld and Odeon), but it’s worth thinking about how you communicate these offers and package them up so as to get your staff really engaged. How about hosting a regular team outing to the local cinema? Or sending around a list of the most hotly anticipated films of the season?
Offer access to sold out eventsMuch like the cinema, autumn is a bit of a gold mine when it comes to events such as gigs and concerts. With festival season over, many bands will hit the road to promote their albums ahead of the Christmas season. Ensure your staff can make the most of these by offering access to discounted tickets to the biggest and best events. Moreover, the best employee benefits schemes can even provide access to sold out events, something money can’t buy.
Give them a helping hand with the Christmas stockingThe Christmas season gets fully underway in autumn as the major retailers begin promoting their festive deals. Indeed, Selfridges opened their Christmas store in August! Yet this can be an expensive time for your staff. Apparently the average family spends £800 celebrating Christmas and that’s just on food, drink, cards and decorations! And according to the Money Advice Trust’s National Debtline, nearly a quarter of Britons feel under pressure to spend more. So, this is a time of year when you can make a big difference to your team’s disposable income via the employee discounts and offers you have in place. Luckily there are a whole host of offers that can help employees prepare for the Christmas season, from money off electronics and department stores, to e-vouchers at local supermarkets.
To find out more about exclusive offers on our employee discount platform book a demo with one of our employee engagement specialists.
