Energy provider SSE believes that all employees, whether they are employed permanently, on a fixed-term contract, or as part of its trainee programme, should have the same access to the organisation’s financial wellbeing benefits package.
Its 200,000 employees, which includes 500 trainees and a large number of contractors, have access to myriad financial benefits via an online financial education programme.
The programme, which launched in January 2018, was designed to financially educate the workforce, catering to their individual needs throughout the different stages of their career. Sandra Shipley, benefits manager at SSE, says: “[SSE] thinks it’s important that its employees feel as valuable as each other. Some [workers] come in for a short period of time but they are still valued and should have access to everything, or at least have knowledge of everything that’s on offer. It might even make them want to come back in a more permanent role. It’s all about trying to attract the right staff at the end of the day.”
SSE’s contractors and trainees can tap into education which is beneficial at the beginning of their career, such as information about repaying student loans, while workers who are in the later stages of their career can access information about the best financial choices for retirement. It also provides employees with its Care First service, which offers education on subjects such as managing money, moving house, work and family or personal crises.
Alongside the financial education programme SSE offers its contractors and trainees a wide variety of other benefits to support their financial wellbeing, including childcare vouchers, travel season ticket loans, staff energy discount, boiler cover, home phone and broadband deals and a technology loan, as well as other discounts available including discounted RAC breakdown cover and Aviva car, home and travel insurance.
SSE’s sharesave and share incentive plans are open to all employees after their their initial three-month probation period.
“The world is changing and we’ve got to evolve too,” said Shipley. “The population of staff who want a job for life still exists but we’ve also got millennials coming in now who do not want [a job for life]; they want to move around, they want new opportunities and experiences and we want to make that a place for them, for however long they choose to stay with us.”