Newcastle City Council uses football-themed communication materials to promote its childcare voucher scheme to male staff.
It revamped the way it promotes the benefit at the beginning of this year after the scheme, which launched in 2006, received a lower-than-average take-up. The HR team worked with its provider, Accor Services, to develop communication materials featuring a picture of a father and son at a football match with the numbers 1195 written across their T-shirts to illustrate the number of pounds that could be saved in a year by using the benefit.
Jill Hunton, human resources adviser, says: "A range of posters were designed and the one we chose had a picture of a father and son in football shirts to target male [staff]. A lot of male employees didn't know they were eligible for the scheme."
Since the image of the father and son was introduced on posters and flyers to promote the scheme, Hunton says interest in childcare vouchers has increased.
The council has also held two awareness days, where representatives from Accor Services provided information on the scheme, and staff were sent details about the vouchers via email4 and letters.
