Background
Challenges
- The contracts of employment and employee benefits varied between each company, which was confusing and disruptive
- Running multiple schemes was inefficient and costly. The management team was looking for “at least” a cost neutral solution and more efficient approach to the total group but with benefits reflecting the approach adopted within the main company
- There were no internal HR resources to draw on. The business had been run very lean which was one of the reasons for its success to date
What we did
- Researched and evaluated all existing employee benefits across the group, summarising benefits provided and costs incurred in a simple spreadsheet. This made it easy for the company to see their current position clearly
- Simply changing the benefits as per the initial brief would have increased benefits but also costs
- We were able to create a unique solution that managed the trade-offs effectively for both the company and its employees
- We introduced a specialist HR consultant to deal with a range of peripheral yet important employee issues arising from the changes. The addition of this expert to the team was critical to a successful outcome
- Once the solution was formulated and agreed, we handled the entire implementation process, managing all the paperwork and roll out to the employees with no hassle or disruption
Results
- By eliminating eight existing employee benefit schemes we increased efficiency and decreased the total time spent by the Human Resources department by many hours per year. This had a direct benefit to their bottom line
- The improved benefits increased staff participation in the scheme, improving group morale and helping to recruit and retain key staff in a highly competitive environment
- Our understanding of the broader political issues and our ability to co-ordinate the right mix of expertise in the development of a solution, helped to prevent any possible legal liabilities in the future, reducing risk and any legal costs
- Dealing with these issues creatively and professionally removed a major headache within the company, allowing the management team to stay focussed on running and expanding the business