All articles by Sam Barrett – Page 6
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AnalysisHow can employers build a culture that provides the experience employees want?
Need to know:The pandemic has pushed health and wellbeing, home working support and greater flexibility up employees’ benefits wish lists.Benefits can bring an organisation’s values to life by demonstrating that they are more than a tick-box exercise.Communicating benefits and how they feed into an organisation’s culture will drive take-up and ...
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AnalysisHow to support working carers without alienating other employees
Need to know:While it is important that employers demonstrate their willingness to support working carers, they must be careful not to alienate employees that don't have caring responsiblities.There are many benefits available that employers can offer working carers, and these can also be promoted to other employees.Communicating the benefits and ...
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AnalysisShould employers be more proactive in looking after employees' physical health?
Need to know:A multi-pronged approach including ergonomic assessments, regular breaks and the right equipment can help to prevent working from home leading to musculoskeletal problems.Existing health benefits often include features, such as virtual GP services, physiotherapy triage and wellbeing apps, that can support employees’ physical health.Getting line managers to role ...
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Case StudiesTesco provides wide-ranging physical health support for staff
Tesco employs around 340,000 people in the UK and Republic of Ireland, across a variety of different roles and locations. This includes 240,000 employees in stores throughout the country, 6,000 in its offices and 24,000 in distribution.Helping employees look after their physical health is a key part of its overall ...
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Case StudiesWessanen UK promotes wellbeing initiatives to support staff through the pandemic
Food producer Wessanen employs 222 people in the UK, split between its head office in Camberley and its production site in Dorset. The production site is open around the clock, manufacturing products such as Clipper Teas and Kallo rice cakes.Back in February, when it started to become apparent that the ...
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AnalysisHow have employers’ priorities changed around wellbeing?
Need to know:Mental health is a growing issue in the workplace with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and suicide likely to rise.Education is key to improving employee financial wellbeing, enabling staff to make informed choices and improve their resilience.Managing employee wellbeing remotely requires a new set of competences ...
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AnalysisWhat long-term health and wellbeing lessons can employers learn from the Covid-19 pandemic?
Need to know:Greater awareness of mental health problems associated with Covid-19 (Coronavirus) will make employers and employees more comfortable to discuss this area of health.The pandemic could drive health and wellbeing benefit redesign, with greaterfocus on prevention, digital services and personalisation.Organisations are seeking more frequent feedback from employees to better ...
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Case StudiesQuilter focuses on employees' mental and physical health during pandemic
Quilter is a financial services organisation providing advice, investments and wealth management in the UK and internationally. It employs around 4,500 people across its hubs in London, Newcastle and Southampton, but also in smaller offices throughout the UK and overseas.When lockdown was announced, employees’ health and wellbeing was a priority. ...
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AnalysisWhat does the future hold for the private medical insurance market?
Need to know:Demand for private medical insurance (PMI) has increased by up to 50% amid growing concerns about NHS waiting lists.Large claims, due to delays in diagnosis and a potential insurance premium tax (IPT) increase, are putting affordability under pressure.Digital services, such as virtual GP and triage support, could help ...
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Case StudiesTata Consultancy Services supports global workforce with remote wellbeing resources
IT services firm Tata Consultancy Services employs around 448,000 people around the world, of which 19,000 work across the UK and Ireland, based in the organisation’s offices and those of its clients. Ramkumar Chandrasekaran, HR director in the UK and Ireland, says: “When the threat of the pandemic started to ...
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AnalysisWhat does the Covid-19 pandemic mean for international benefit strategies?
Need to know:Digital benefits and online platforms are set to increase as more employees around the globe work remotely.International demand for health and protection benefits is up, with a focus on wellbeing and lower-cost options.Different experiences of the pandemic mean local benefits solutions are important.With the Covid-19 pandemic forcing much ...
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Case StudiesThames Water helps employees understand the bigger picture
Thames Water employs 6,400 employees across London and the Thames Valley. As well as staff based in its head office in Reading, it also has employees across many sites throughout the region as well as field-based engineers and technicians.Aimee Cain, occupational health and wellbeing manager at Thames Water, has seen ...
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AnalysisHow are employees’ expectations shaping benefits strategies?
Need to know:Employees are increasingly seeking out organisations that share their values.Employers must demonstrate their commitment to their values, embedding them in everything from the facilities to policies and benefits.Providing employees with a pot of money and allowing them to select how they spend it can support a more diverse ...
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AnalysisHow can occupational health data inform corporate wellbeing strategies?
Need to know:Analysing data from occupational health questionnaires and absence services can identify health issues and trends in the workplace.Employee consent must be obtained if an employer wants to use data collected by occupational health services.Employers should use as broad a range of employee health data, including occupational health insight, ...
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Case StudiesKyocera Document Solutions uses occupational health data to support staff wellbeing
Kyocera Document Solutions employs around 500 people across its eight offices throughout the UK. As well as office-based staff, it also has a team of field-based engineers, in addition to sales people who support clients around the country.As part of its commitment to look after the health and wellbeing of ...
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AnalysisShaping benefits strategy for a future workforce
Need to know:Both the nature of work and the demographics of the workforce are changing, so a benefits strategy must be fit for future purpose in order to attract and retain talent.Generational differences are causing diverse wants and needs to emerge, which must be taken into account. However, some strategies, ...
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Case StudiesCurve shapes its benefits provision around business growth
Fintech organisation Curve has grown significantly since its launch in 2015; having started with a headcount of just six, it is about to hire its 250th employee. Kate James, head of people operations at Curve, was employee number seven. “Growth was always a factor for the business, so we knew ...
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AnalysisHow to help employees overcome auto-enrolment apathy
Need to know:Group presentations alongside online calculators and pension modellers can help employees see whether their retirement savings are on track.Consolidating pension pots can make retirement savings easier to understand and manage, making it more likely that employees will engage with saving for retirement.Financial incentives, such as matching contributions and ...
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Case StudiesDWF engages employees with pensions through enhanced matched contributions
Legal services firm DWF employs around 2,300 staff across 11 offices throughout the UK and Ireland. In April 2019, it launched a new self-invested personal pension (Sipp) plan, to encourage employees to engage more with their retirement savings.Stephen Jones, head of reward at DWF, says: “We’d offered matched contributions based ...
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AnalysisHow to create an employer brand fit for the modern workforce
Need to know:As both competition and transparency increase, employers would do well to look at their brand values and how these fit with the expectations of the modern workforce.Flexbility, sustainability and opportunities to learn and grow are all increasingly important, particularly as employees continue to blend work and life.The positioning ...