Neil Watson is a team manager at the National Express contact centre, which he joined, initially as an adviser, some six years ago.

When he began working for the firm, Watson only received the employee bus pass but has since made the most of the subsequent benefits developments.

Despite the expense of getting married and doing up his house last year, Watson has been able to afford a summer holiday this year by booking at a discounted rate via the company's voluntary benefits website. "I'm a big advocate of the benefits. I'm always trying to use them and I'm always telling my team, 'make sure you look and register for all these things'. If I'm thinking of buying anything now I'll always have a look at work and see what benefits I can get," he says.

After five years with the company, Watson was awarded a hamper for long service. "It included luxury goods: biscuits, cheese, chocolates, that kind of thing. It was really good stuff," he says.

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