Are you thinking outside the box?

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ISSUE 16 / APRIL 2012

Also in this issue:• Discount shopping goes mobile

• Watch this space: Using video to foster benefits engagement

• Employer Profile: Rehau

Insight, strategy and best practice in employee benefits from Asperity

2.

Glenn ElliottCEO, Asperity Employee Benef itsglenn@asperity.co.ukwww.glennelliott.co.uk

WELCOME CONTENTSbenef itsconnection

Contents and Editorial 2.

When the time is right… 3.

Discount shopping goes mobile 4.

The Art of Engagement: How to become a ‘best company’ 6.

Watch this space: Using video to foster benefits engagement 8.

Employer Profile: Rehau 10.

Visit www.asperity.co.uk for more information and free, fully functional demo access to Reward Gateway.

All information correct at the time of writing and subject to change without notice.

Asperity Employee Benef its Ltd, 90 Westbourne Grove,London, W2 5RT. Tel 020 7229 0349www.asperity.co.ukemail: benef its@asperity.co.uk

© Asperity Employee Benef its Ltd 2012.

Go to www.benefitsconnection.co.uk for all the latest news and commentary on employee benefits.

In this age of convenience, it has never been so easy for your employees to get what they want. At the push of a button, at the tips of their fingers, everything is automated, online and easily accessible via smartphones, tablets and computer screens. In this day and age, if there are too many barriers in the way your staff simply won’t bother. The question is, how

can you bring your employee benefits programme up to speed so that it’s just as accessible? This issue focuses on how you can make it easy for your workforce to maximise their employee benefits programme, in a single integrated app.

At the same time, it needs to be equally convenient for you as an employer to put new employee benefits in place. When to fit the project in, how to communicate it and is it going to take up too much time, are all going to be questions you ask yourself when thinking of implementing something new. Our cover story looks at how essential it is to have a provider that does the bulk of the work for you, and why now might be the perfect time to introduce a new benefit.

3.

WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT…

There’s never really a good time to start a new project, is there? It always seems like there’s too much on your plate to really give it the attention it deserves, so inevitably new proposals get pushed back, and pushed back. The end of the financial year is often the time when your existing projects are winding down and contracts come up for renewal, so it’s the perfect time to stop and have a think about whether your current employee benefits are really having the impact you want them to with your employees. Can you add or change anything that would make their benefits package more useful and relevant to them? Does your portfolio include ‘something for everyone’? And crucially: are your employees actually engaging with their benefits?

So what makes for a successful project plan when you’re trying to fit it into your action-packed schedule? When you’re introducing new employee benefits for your staff, the last thing you want is a lengthy, complex implementation and launch process. If the implementation goes on for long enough, there’s bound to be something else that takes your attention away from it – and so launch gets pushed back again, and the process is drawn out even further.

“Clients often worry that the implementation process for a new benefits programme will take a lot of time and require a hefty amount of work just to get it up and running,” says Joanna Martin, Client Services Manager for Asperity360. “We launch around 20 new schemes every month so have considerable experience in making the implementation process as quick, smooth and painless as possible.”

An implementation project plan that covers all bases from the start is key; introducing a new employee benefit isn’t just about depositing the product on your lap and leaving it to you to figure it out. A dedicated account manager who will take care of the project from all angles, including communicating the launch effectively to your staff and making it as quick and easy for them to start benefitting from it as possible, will get the programme off to a great start and make your life a heck of a lot easier.

“Implementation was completely easy and straightforward,” says Melissa Sincock, who put the Hobbs Rewards programme in place with Asperity in 2011. “From transferring childcare vouchers to the launch communications plan - right from the beginning, all of the important things had already been thought of. It’s had a really low impact on our time, which was exactly what we needed!”

The truth is, there’s never going to be a “right time” to embark on the implementation of a new project, but by picking the right provider you can certainly make life easier for yourself.

By Sarah Millward

Sarah Millward is the People & Projects Manager for Asperity Employee Benefits. Comments or questions? Post them on benefitsconnection.co.uk

4.

DISCOUNT SHOPPINGGOES MOBILE

There’s no denying it; making purchases online via a smartphone is a growing trend. Since Christmas, retailers have reported a huge increase in customers using smartphones to compare prices and snap up sales offers online. The mobile channel has vaulted itself into position to become the dominant way in which consumers search, share and shop, which is yet further testimony to the savvy shopper culture that has come of age.

More than 4 billion people (over half the planet) have mobile phones – an increasing number of which are internet-enabled smart phones that work as powerfully as computers do. A recent Ofcom report claims that 27% of adults are now smartphone users, and that shopping via a mobile phone has become as common as shopping from a computer at work, with many people shopping using multiple devices.

In a survey conducted earlier this year by customer experience analytics firm Foresee, 49% of people indicated that they had accessed a retailer’s website using a mobile phone (compared to 32% in 2010 and 23% in 2009). An additional 28% indicate that they plan to use their mobile phone to access a retailer’s website, mobile website, or mobile app in the future.

Most interesting are the different ways that consumers are using the mobile app to help them with their shopping. Owners of tablets and smartphones are increasingly using their devices to check product information and compare prices while inside shops. Price comparison is emerging as a major mobile shopping activity, and the fact that you can

browse for rival prices while in a competitor’s store has massive implications for the continued rise in popularity of the shopping app.

Also gathering momentum is the trend for consumers to use their smartphones to search for discounts and deals on in-store prices while out shopping. With bargain-hunting becoming more prevalent in UK shopping culture (see my article “The savvy shopper comes of age” in Issue 15), it makes sense that consumers should use all available means to get the best deal in the marketplace. If you offer discounts to your workforce as an employee benefit, it’s a logical step to expect that you should also be able to offer them the means to do this on the move.

In short, more than three-quarters of all online shoppers are either already using or plan to use their phones for retail purposes.

Given the widespread and growing usage of mobile websites, having an app to maximise your employees’ usage of their employee discounts programme could add a crucial element to their engagement with the scheme. Aspects of shopping such as searching for store locations, researching product information and price comparison would be immediately easier with an app, not to mention the implications of being able to order vouchers and cards on the move, so they can do this as soon as they think of it, rather than having to be next to a computer. Ordering SMS vouchers would be obtainable at the click of a finger, upon which users would receive the SMS voucher direct to the same phone in their hand in an instant.

Particularly for offline sectors of your workforce who don’t get the chance to shop from their computers at work, an app could revolutionise their shopping experience. Having a provider that not only has price comparison enabled on its product search, but even factors in the discount for your employees’ convenience is a brilliant way to engage your workforce with their programme.

A whole world of price and product information, on-demand shopping and topping up gift cards quickly and conveniently, is now available at your fingertips and in your pocket. The mobile-empowered consumer is one that is being harnessed by retailers in their droves – the demand is there for an instant shopping experience on the move, and by gum are retailers responding to the demand.

A shopping discounts scheme, therefore, needs to keep up with the trend. A mobile app that allows your employees to do all of the above means they are plugged in to your benefits programme around the clock, wherever they are. It makes life easier for them, enabling them to take advantage of discounts at an unprecedented level of convenience. For you, the barriers to engagement couldn’t be lower. If you’d like to chat with us about Asperity’s brand new mobile discounts app, call us now on 020 7229 0349 or email benefits@asperity.co.uk

By Ross Truesdale

Ross Truesdale is the Head of Retail for Asperity Employee Benefits. Comments or questions? Post them on benefitsconnection.co.uk

5.

If you offer discounts to your workforce as an employee benefit, it’s a logical step to expect that you should also be able to offer them the means to do this on the move.

6.6.

THE ART OF ENGAGEMENT: How to become a ‘best company’

Being a ‘best company’ goes beyond the bottom line. It’s about excelling in all areas across the workplace and an organisation’s commitment to its most important asset - its workforce.Making the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies list isn’t just about getting a prestigious award; there are distinct advantages to being a ‘best company’ that could make a real difference to the success of your business. Employee engagement is the underpin to the cause and effect of business success. If you can get your employees engaged, then the bonuses of better staff retention, reduced recruitment costs and greater financial performance generally follow. And the key to getting your staff engaged is absolutely within your reach.

Improved workplace engagementEmployee engagement is always at the forefront of employers’ minds for good reason. Defined by Best Companies as “an employee’s drive to use all their ingenuity and resources for the benefit of the company”, engagement is clearly integral to improving innovation and productivity. Understanding your workforce is key to achieving this success. Introducing employee benefits that are directly relevant to your staff is a fantastic way to boost engagement with your company, so make sure your benefits programme reflects your employee demographic.

Find out what your employees would like to see in place and tailor your programme to match their interests. Not only will they be engaged by the fact that you’re listening to them, but the resulting benefits that you introduce could have further positive impact as well. For example, something really simple like free breakfast cereal and fruit for your employees could make a real difference to their wellbeing.

A good employee discounts programme is a very versatile employee benefit to have because saving money is something that everyone can relate to. No matter how much your employees earn, discounts have become a part of modern-day culture that understands savvy bargain-hunting as a wise lifestyle choice.

Everyone needs to shop, whether it’s the everyday supermarket shopping or high-level premium brands for treating ourselves. Enabling your workforce to maximise their disposable income has never been so relevant, and if you have a provider who knows how to get your staff to use it, the savings are tangible.

The making of a ‘best company’The Best Companies winners are chosen based on their employees’ answers to a carefully constructed questionnaire, modelled around eight key factors that weave engagement through them as a running theme. In order to optimise positive feeling from your employees with your company, leaders and team, introducing a comprehensive employee benefits platform is one of the smartest things you can do. Long gone are the days when

an employee’s salary was the only thing they got in return for a hard day’s work. Nurture your employees - the secret is that they are your greatest asset and by recognising that and acting on it, your company can reap real financial reward.

Understanding your workforce is key to achieving success. Introducing employee benefits that are directly relevant to your staff is a fantastic way to boost engagement.

By Alex Bailey

IMY JOB

7.7.

Fig. 1: The Best Companies List has established its reputation through an authoritative and highly rigorous methodology. The following eight key factors identify workplace performance and best practice when assessed in survey format by employees. Source: bestcompanies.co.uk/methodology

How employees feel about the head of the organisation, senior managers, and the organisations values and principles

How employees feel about and communicate with their direct manager

What employees feel about training and their future prospects

How employees feel about stress, pressure at work, and work life balance

Employees feelings towards their immediate colleagues and how well they work together

The extent to which employees feel their organisation has a positive impact on society

The level of engagement employees have for their job and organisation

How happy employees are with their pay and benefits

8 key factors

Leadership

My Manager

Personal Growth

Wellbeing

My Team

Giving Something Back

My Company

Fair Deal

Criteria

IMY JOB

8.

Using video to foster benefits engagement

WATCH THIS SPACE:

When you’re introducing an employee benefits programme, you need to think carefully about how you’re going to communicate it to successfully engage your workforce. The very fact that you are attempting to transmit information to your employees that isn’t directly related to their work presents an automatic challenge. How do you get staff excited about something that simply doesn’t feature highly on their priority list? As a communication tool, the medium of video has a lot to offer.

Videos can capture audience attention in a very short space of time while conveying a large amount of information quickly and memorably.

Videos are a popular and powerful tool for promoting new concepts because they are entertaining, and good at conveying messages quickly. They can deliver content in an exciting and memorable way. They can capture your attention in a short space of time and make a large quantity of information stick in your mind. In short, videos are engaging by their very nature because of their visual and interactive format.

This kind of impact can be highly beneficial for all sorts of different workforces. If your staff are time-poor then a fun and easily digestible video may be the easiest way of educating them. If you’ve got a young generation workforce with a characteristically short attention span then you may well rely on media-rich visuals to attract their eye. A short video will engage users much better than expecting them to read and digest the same amount of text.

The growing prevalence of devices that videos can be viewed on means that promotion by video is becoming a more popular medium. If your employees have access to educational videos not only online at their desks, but on their smartphones and tablets as well then it’s a no-brainer to enable it as a communication method. As an employer, you may well be able to identify other opportunities for airing video in the workplace too. Screens in communal or reception areas present fantastic possibilities for broadcasting information on benefits, as do short slots in monthly or weekly team meetings.

Videos can simplify concepts that otherwise might seem complex, like Cashback or childcare vouchers.

It’s important to have an employee benefits provider that understands the advantages of using video as a communication tool, particularly when it comes to simplifying concepts that could otherwise seem complex if expressed in the wrong way, like Cashback or childcare vouchers. Short and informative videos hosted on your employee benefits portal itself is a really useful way of introducing, or guiding employees through, the programme. Don’t forget that learning by video is now a well-recognised training format.

It’s not only at launch that video can be an effective communication tool either. Further down the line, there are different types of video that could really help to boost engagement with your programme.

By Jenni Yates

9.

For example, a testimonial video consisting of soundbites from your peers about how useful certain employee benefits are could really resonate with the rest of your workforce and encourage them to start using it too. Because your employees will recognise the faces on-screen as members of their company, they’re much more likely to be influenced by the opinions that their fellow employees voice. With a simple short video you can advance engagement with your programme by raising the profile of those that are already on-side.

Similarly, it’s important to convey aspects that your workforce can identify with in all video promotion. A good provider will recognise the importance of tailoring their standard video guides to include your company branding elements and logo.

Jenni Yates is Asperity’s Client Services communications specialist. Comments or questions? Post them on benefitsconnection.co.uk.

10.

EMPLOYER PROFILE: REHAU

QUICK FACTS

Employees 500

Workforce profile Primarily offline, based in the factory

Highlights Quick implementation, fast uptake, support for local retailers

As market leaders in international systems manufacturing in the building solutions, automotive and industrial sector, REHAU places a premium on quality control and innovation. That same dedication was channeled in to providing a benefits scheme that would add to their existing benefits package, with the intention of providing employees with a reward they could enjoy throughout the year.

REHAU was looking to find a relevant benefit for employees that would add to their existing portfolio. REHAU employees are remotely located, and spend a large part of their day

without access to computers. Because of their remote location, REHAU employees had a strong demand for discounts at local retailers as well as recognised brands.

After looking at the options available, REHAU decided on Asperity’s Reward Gateway - not only because of the exclusive offers available through the gateway to thousands of brand-name and niche retailers, but also because the service was flexible in the retailers that it featured, and like the company, placed an emphasis on remaining pioneers in green technology and environmental initiatives.

Because REHAU wanted to launch the rewards programme quickly, launch communications needed to be powerful. The all-new employee benefits scheme was promoted through teaser posters, launch posters, and payslip flyers which explained the features of their upcoming rewards programme.

Employee feedback gathered by REHAU’s HR team, revealed employees’ desire to have local, accessible retailers featured on the site. These retailers included the local leisure centre, car maintenance garage and dentist.

Lindsey Brown, Employee Relations Officer at REHAU, explained that employees “wanted to make sure the discounts they received were genuine and useable, and contributed to the local community.” She added: “We all enjoy discounts at ASDA and M&S, but because of our location there are some more niche, localised purchases that we were pleased to

see we could also save on through our rewards programme.”

The REHAU Rewards portal featured information about local retailers, promoting deals and sales on the site. Employees were also given promotional codes and reference numbers for those local businesses, to use in-store to gain savings. As well as communicating discounts via the Reward Gateway portal, branded posters were put up throughout the UK worksites.

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Within the first few months of launch, REHAU Rewards has achieved high employee engagement, with well over half of its employees registered with the programme.

What’s next?Looking forward, REHAU and Asperity aim to continue to promote local retailers on the Reward Gateway platform. Regular feedback from employees are being listened to and used to continue to improve the REHAU Rewards features and offerings.

Employee feedback gathered by REHAU’s HR team, revealed employees’ desire to have local, accessible retailers featured on the site.

These retailers included the local leisure centre, car maintenance garage and dentist.

Are you thinking outside the box?

Asperity Employee Benefits Ltd90 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5RTt: +44 (0)20 7229 0349 f: +44 (0)70 9201 0022 e: benefits@asperity.co.uk www.asperity.co.uk

Benefits Connectione: hello@benefitsconnection.co.uk www.benefitsconnection.co.uk