Creative public relations agency Muckle Media has this week (11 February 2019) launched an enhanced flexible benefits and unlimited holiday package for its Scotland-based employees.
The new benefits have been introduced to coincide with Valentine's Day, and as part of the organisation's #LittleThings campaign; this aims to attract and retain the best talent within the industry, in addition to supporting Muckle Media's goal of becoming an employer of choice.
Nathalie Agnew, managing director at Muckle Media, said: "We believe that a happy team is a productive and creative one, which is why we are putting our team at the centre of our strategy and working towards becoming the best agency to work for in the UK.
"We are all adults and believe that by removing rules and restrictions, our team will have a better life balance and, in turn, deliver more in the workplace."
The flexible benefits package provides employees with an employer-funded sum of money, equating to 20% of their annual salary, in addition to their normal pay. Employees can use this to select benefits such as private healthcare, enhanced employer pension contributions and cinema tickets. They can also choose to contribute to a social fund or match funding for charity fundraising.
Staff will also have access to various health and wellbeing benefits, such as an employer-paid gym membership, free fruit in the office and mental health first aid training. The organisation will appoint two wellbeing ambassadors and have visiting speakers attend its offices, discussing topics such as yoga, mindfulness and nutrition.
Agnew added: "At the centre of our #LittleThings campaign is a focus on mental wellbeing and healthy living, combined with a range of perks to help our team be stronger, smarter and happier, all while improving the world around us. I can't wait to work with our teams in Edinburgh and Inverness to roll out these benefits and provide a positive and supportive workplace of the future."
Muckle Media has also introduced unlimited holiday for all employees who have completed their probation period. This has been designed to empower staff to choose how much time they take away from the workplace. Holiday days will need to be submitted through a system to be approved by line managers, with the proviso that there will be a set maximum for the number of people off at any one time.
The unlimited holiday provision will be supported by a new flexible working policy; this enables staff to choose when and where they work, focusing on output rather than the number of hours spent at desks.
The majority of the new benefits have launched this week, and Muckle Media plans to introduce the rest before 1 April 2019, allowing for time to consult with staff on the specifics. Consultations also took place prior to this week's launch, including a 'best place to work' workshop. The organisation plans to have a similar event in March.
Throughout the week, the new benefits programme is being communicated to employees using the theme of Valentine's Day, with heart-shaped balloons, chocolate roses, cards and fruit being left on their desks. In addition, Muckle Media has used printed benefits packs to outline the details of the new schemes.
As part of its approach to becoming an employer of choice, Muckle Media is currently rewriting all of its job descriptions in order to tailor roles to employees' specialities, passions and ambitions, and is also reviewing its environmental policy.
"It's the little things that make a difference every day," said Agnew. "Small changes to [an employee's] working environment, diet and fitness regime can make huge changes to [their] health and wellbeing.
"Little improvements, such as not using disposable plastic or remembering to recycle make a big difference to the planet. That's why Muckle Media believes that the #LittleThings are important."
