Information technology organisation CGI UK uses an employee share purchase scheme to engage and motivate its 6,000 UK-based employees, creating an organisational culture of ownership and belonging.
The share plan has been a facet of the global benefits package since the organisation was founded around 42 years ago, and was introduced in the UK in 2012 when CGI acquired management consultancy Logica. At the start, 70% of CGI UK employees joined the plan; this increased to 90% in August 2017 and then to 93.4% by June 2019. The organisation, as a result, internally calls its staff ‘members’ and identifies them as key stakeholders in the business.
Jane McVicker, vice president of HR at CGI UK, says: “We’re looking at it driving [a] sense of belonging with the [organisation]. It’s that opportunity to stimulate entrepreneurship, helping [to] build a tighter and more comprehensive, competitive compensation package for people.”
Employees can invest up to 3% of their salary in CGI UK shares, purchased on the open market, which the organisation will match pound for pound. Staff have the option to purchase further shares, up to a maximum 10% of their basic salary a year. Staff can buy and sell these shares at any point, commencing as soon as they join the organisation.
Tara McGeehan, president at CGI UK, says: “It invokes a different culture than if [individuals] just felt like [they] were [employees]. People [behave] differently when they are shareholders; people care more. If it’s something [employees] own, [they] tend to look after it a little bit better. It’s a virtuous circle of commitment.”
Tackling retention
The reason for maintaining a strong focus on employee ownership lies in talent retention, notes McGeehan. “IT is a very hot market, so people have got lots of choices; we need to create a benefits package that’s comparable with the competition, but is also seen as a good reason to stay with CGI. We are largely driven by the higher level of turnover in the sector generally.”
To help combat attrition, CGI UK consistently reviews its longstanding flexible benefits package, originally introduced in September 2005, to ensure that the perks offered are relevant, particularly taking into account the workforce's diverse age range. “We want to make sure there is a benefit range for all our members and something that suits their lifestyle,” says McGeehan.
With this in mind, the business provides 24 flexible benefits split across five categories: pension, ownership, finance, health and lifestyle. The annual enrolment window is in December each year and in 2018, 87% of CGI UK employees engaged with making benefits selections. Some provisions can also be changed during the year depending on life events.
Will writing was introduced to the scheme three years ago, in January 2017, while a discounted gym membership was the most recent benefit to be added to the roster. This sits alongside benefits such as private medical insurance (PMI), critical illness insurance, dental insurance and life assurance.
CGI UK also encourages retention via its member discount scheme, which launched at the end of 2017. Through the scheme, which is provided by Reward Gateway and is accessible via smartphones, employees are able to access discounts at retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Curry’s, John Lewis and Argos, as well as at venues like Cineworld and Odeon. “When people save money in their day-to-day life it does make a difference” says McVicker.
In 2018, just under 70% of the workforce logged on to the scheme. For 2019, CGI UK plans to expand the offering to align the available discounts with employees’ locations. Although the exact timeline has yet to be agreed, the roll out will happen this autumn, says McVicker.
Wellbeing focus
The organisation also places a strong focus on employee wellness, operating a health and wellbeing programme called Oxygen, which has been in place for the past seven years.
Focusing on both physical and mental health, the initiative includes access to a full-time occupational health nurse, annual flu jabs and fruit deliveries. The organisation also pays to have employees trained as mental health first aiders; currently, there are 210 spread across CGI UK’s 19 operating sites.
In the past year, CGI UK has expanded Oxygen to increase the number of educational webinars to occur at least once a month, covering subjects such as financial wellbeing, autistic spectrum disorders in the workplace, heart health, emotional intelligence, mindfulness and stroke awareness. The organisation has also introduced a half-day mental health awareness course for its managers, and a mobile app to facilitate better access to the available services.
The most recent benefit to be added to Oxygen is a half-day health assessment for staff at director level or above, which was introduced in October 2018. Conducted at national Nuffield Health centres, to accommodate employees at different office locations, the assessments measure factors such as cholesterol and fitness levels. CGI UK is trialing the assessments with its directors; if successful, they may be rolled out to the entire workforce.
“It’s quite a stressful occupation that we have, and we should look after our managers,” says McVicker. “It shows commitment and care from the [organisation], but also gives people a moment to just take stock of their own personal health.”
The Oxygen programme is reviewed on an annual basis as part of CGI UK’s broader business strategy planning review, which typically takes place every June.
Feedback informing decisions
To discover what its employees really want, CGI UK primarily uses an online, quarterly member satisfaction survey, internally known as Msat. This consists of two parts: a one-to-one, hour-long meeting between an employee and their manager to go through the questions and any matters that arise, after which the employee anonymously fills out the online survey alone.
A quarter of the workforce are asked each quarter to do the 10-question survey; this allows for quarterly comparisons to track improvements and trends.
This approach evidently resonates with staff: in quarter two of 2019, 90% of those asked to participate completed the Msat survey. “It’s valued a lot more when it’s a face-to-face meeting rather than an ‘on your own’ event,” says McGeehan.
In quarter two of this year, CGI UK’s Msat score was 8.3 out of 10, its highest to date. “We have a belief that what gets measured gets done, so if they give us feedback, we’re listening,” says McGeehan.
CGI UK also collects staff feedback via an annual survey every April, which discusses the strategy of the organisation and broader topics alongside benefits and reward, and gathers information more informally during huddles and town hall meetings.
Finally, CGI UK conducts a formal annual review with consultancy Mercer every June or July to discuss marketplace trends. “That really does allow us to make sure that we are picking the best [benefits] to bring in,” adds McVicker.
Communications
With numerous generations in the workforce, communications can pose a challenge. “The way we communicate with our staff reflects how broad a group they are," explains McGeehan. "Some of our younger [employees] prefer to have podcasts and videos and some of our older [employees] prefer emails.
"When we talk, we have to think carefully about how we reach everybody in the different mediums so that everybody’s connected.”
As CGI UK's staff are generally comfortable with technology due to the nature of their work, communications have to be accessible and mirror modern consumer methods in order to engage. “[As] an IT [organisation, we] should be able to communicate with [employees] in the same way as they can communicate with their friends. It does put the challenge back on us,” says McGeehan.
Therefore, CGI UK uses a multi-channel approach, incorporating snapshot videos, downloadable podcasts, weekly round-up newsletters, all-employee calls and online communications via its flexible benefits platform.
At CGI UK, variety is key when it comes to using benefits to engage and motivate a multi-generational workforce in a highly competitive and fluctuating industry.
McVicker concludes: “The benefits offering for our workforce is varied, flexible, accessible and interesting, and is constantly being reviewed.”
At a glance
CGI is a global information technology organisation that deals in system integration projects and service management, as well as the building and running of software. The business has 77,000 members of staff worldwide, with around 6,000 employees based in the UK across 19 operating sites.
The job roles at CGI UK span an array of technology-related functions, such as coding software, designing systems and screens and working to make IT systems usable and operational. Staff often start as graduates in analyst positions before gaining more skills, experience and qualifications in order to progress their careers.
CGI UK’s staff is 21% female and 79% male. Around 30% of employees are aged between 22 and 37, and approximately 50% are aged between 38 and 53. The average tenure of staff is 9.8 years; 46% of employees have more than eight years’ service.
Business objectives
- To bring innovation and new thinking to the digital sector.
- To build good quality software.
- To deliver projects on time and to budget.
Career history
Tara McGeehan, president, has been directly employed at CGI UK for the past seven years. Her total tenure, however, spans 24 years; in 2001, management consultancy Logica bought the National Grid subsidiary where McGeehan worked as a product centre manager. Logica was then acquired by CGI UK in 2012.
An engineer by trade, McGeehan’s career has seen her occupy a diverse range of IT-related roles, including analyst, designer, tester, project manager and programme manager.
McGeehan’s proudest achievements reflect successful team projects, for example when CGI UK won the smart metering tender or when, during her time at the Post Office as an analyst, the organisation won a bid to do the central systems for The National Lottery.
“Personal achievements are never as good as team achievements,” she says. “When [we] work up to [a bid] for a long time and then win it, it’s fantastic.”
Career history
Jane McVicker joined CGI UK in February 2019 as vice president, human resources.
Her previous roles, at organisations such as The Walt Disney Company and BT, has seen her gain a wealth of senior leadership experience, across business sectors including media, technology, professional services and retail.
McVicker, who is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), specialises in delivering strategic projects that centre around employee engagement, talent development and diversity and inclusion.
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