Doug Ross, HR manager at Roche Pharmaceuticals, says: “One of the themes that leapt out of the survey we did of our workforce was that employees wanted guidance on financial matters. There is a growing awareness that, in these times of austerity, everyone is having to look at their finances more generally. “
As a result, Towers Watson is conducting one-hour presentations on financial issues to groups of employees and Roche is holding drop-in sessions for people who want to talk about more personal matters away from a group situation.
The presentations will be filmed and the content will be made available on the web in chunks, so Roche’s workforce out in the field can also access it. “Take-up [of the sessions] has been dramatic and I believe staff see this as a very helpful service,” says Ross.
Roche also provides independent financial advice for its senior managers who earn more than £100,000.
