Zurich personalises flexible benefits communications

Zurich Financial Services has introduced personalised benefits booklets containing total reward statements to help communicate its flexible benefits scheme.

It has also launched two new flex options to boost interest in the scheme: a retail discount card and a tax-efficient bus pass that employees can purchase through salary sacrifice.

The organisation has tailored its flex booklets to suit the individual circumstances of its 7,500-strong workforce, using data from its SAP payroll system.

For example, the booklets will avoid telling single employees about family healthcare. They will also contain individual total reward statements and personal messages from department heads, including comments based on appraisals, where positive.

Peter Seers, UK payroll and benefits director, said: “With flex, you often get a ‘sheep-dip’ approach, but we wanted to get more employee engagement on a local basis and to make people feel they are being treated as individuals as far as flex is concerned.”

The booklets were sent out in October ahead of the flex launch in January. New options include the Zurich Spree card, which gives discounts at high-street stores such as Asda, Sainsbury’s, Debenhams and Homebase. Staff can credit the plastic Mastercard through the flex scheme.

Zurich has also launched salary sacrifice bus season tickets, saving employees tax and national insurance contributions (NIC) and the company NIC on the amount sacrificed.