Avanta has reviewed its entire benefits package, making improvements to health and wellbeing benefits, pensions and lifestyle perks.
The firm, which specialises in offering flexible office spaces for small and medium-sized enterprises, will introduce salary sacrifice on pension contributions this month. It will reinvest its savings on employer national insurance contributions into employees’ pension pots.
Avanta has also changed its family-friendly benefits by increasing paid maternity leave by a week for each year of service completed, with a cap of 10 weeks at 90% pay. It has increased paternity pay to two weeks on full pay – up from the statutory rate of one week at full pay and the second at £123.06.
The firm also reviewed the company-paid private medical insurance (PMI) for its managers, using Jelf Employee Benefits. After doing so, it switched PMI provider from AIG to Norwich Union Healthcare. It has also introduced annual health screening for managers and discounted dental insurance for all employees.
Staff who want to stop smoking will be offered an incentive to do so as the firm will now reimburse them for any money they spend on aids to help them quit, such as NHS treatment or hypnotherapy.
Jill Jackson, director of HR and training, said: “The cost to the company of someone who goes out to smoke a lot is quite high, but wellbeing is the real driver. We want to give staff the chance to stop smoking by sponsoring them.”