With the environment a core part of many organisations’ objectives, it can be a challenge to ensure that all business practices, including benefits, are maximising their opportunities to reduce carbon footprints.
The switch to carbon neutral driving is helping more employers than ever before to remove polluting vehicles from their car parks.
Some of Tusker’s customers have shared their experiences on the impact of the car benefit scheme on their organisation’s benefits packages.
Scottish Power
ScottishPower, the first integrated energy company to only generate 100% green electricity, has helped 230 of its drivers into electric vehicles (EVs) thanks to a salary sacrifice scheme. The organisation has embraced the salary sacrifice scheme and coupled it with an EV grant to make the scheme even more affordable.
As a result, 50% of ScottishPower’s employees have logged into the scheme website to view the cars available. 230 employees have ordered a car on the scheme in the first year and more than 170 have already been delivered. This represents a carbon saving of more than 300 tonnes.
Jenny McCosh, benefits manager at ScottishPower commented: “We are delighted with engagement we have seen from employees on the scheme, showing their real desire to lower their carbon footprint and being ambassadors for the switch to driving electric.
“We’re proud to be offering our employees the opportunity to drive a brand new zero emission electric car and make savings while doing so. It’s part of our overall benefits package and really fits with our corporate goals.”
Southampton City Council
Southampton City Council has made a pledge to improve air quality and reduce the organisation’s impact on the environment over the next few years and felt the car benefit scheme was a great way to enable their employees to drive carbon-neutral cars.
Gareth Terry, head of HR business services, said: “We wanted to provide our employees with a sought-after benefit as part of their package. The car scheme was a great way to do this, while also contributing to our green agenda. The fact that the organisation is also able to make national insurance and pension savings due to the salary reductions, meant the scheme was a win-win.
“It was important for us to make the scheme as affordable as possible, for as many of our colleagues as possible. The scheme provides the opportunity for council employees to drive a brand new car, while making savings on income tax and national insurance as the scheme is run via salary sacrifice. The savings are greatest on zero-emission vehicles, which enables more people to afford one than would otherwise be able to.”
Siemens
Launched with the aims of increasing its corporate sustainability and aiding as many employees as possible to enjoy the use of a brand new, affordable and environmentally-friendly car, Siemens introduced the car benefit scheme to include more of its employees than would have been possible with a traditional company car policy.
Thanks to the way in which the scheme is structured, the majority of Siemens’ employees have become eligible, particularly benefiting those who were not entitled to be part of the company car scheme.
In the first six weeks, 25% of the company’s employees had logged on to look at cars on the system and more than 100 quotes had been raised demonstrating the huge appetite for the scheme.
Amy Vokes, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) compensation and benefits professional at Siemens, commented: “The launch of our EV salary sacrifice benefit forms part of our global drive towards ever greater sustainability. The tender process involved a range of departments within Siemens to ensure a complete integration of the benefit and Tusker was found to be the strongest candidate. Tusker’s own impressive sustainability record, allied to its suite of lifestyle protection packages, was highly attractive.”
Paul Gilshan is chief executive officer at Tusker