Nottingham City Council An employee benefits success story
Introductions Lynn Griffin-Pearce Resourcing and Reward Consultant
Background Nottingham Cosmopolitan city with a population of 310,000 Two universities, world class sports facilities and a thriving retail centre Excellent public transport system, good motorway links and nearby major airports One of the largest employers in Nottingham-just under 7,000 employees 54% of employees are city residents Diverse workforce- 65% aged % female 17% from BME background Nottingham City Council
Background Part of Sodexo Group Clients ranging from 150 to 150,000 employees Specialist voluntary benefits provider Own integrated product range Single platform solution Dedicated account management approach
Partnership philosophy Working in partnership since 2005 Cost neutral solution / overall net savings for the Council Continuous reinvestment in scheme growth Innovation and new product development
Award winning employee benefits March 2014 ‘Best Salary Sacrifice Scheme’ (holidayplus and MYtime) Pay & Benefits Awards June 2014 ‘Best Voluntary Benefits Scheme’ Employee Benefits Awards June 2016 ‘Best Voluntary Benefits’ Employee Benefits Awards June 2016 ‘Benefits Team of the year’ Employee Benefits Awards July 2015 ‘Most effective rewards and benefits strategy’ HR Excellence Awards September 2015 ‘Savings and benefits team of the year’ WSB Awards WSB Awards 2015
Challenging economic climate Financial constraints- Central funding cuts Limited pay rises No budget for rewards/benefits Essential to embrace the challenge- Unique attributes of salary sacrifice Opportunity for cost neutral benefits Creative options explored “ Public service cuts deepen as councils near financial tipping point” The Guardian, May 2014 “Real austerity means public sector cuts” Telegraph, Nov 2014 “Public sector cuts worsen low pay trap” Financial Times, Oct 2014
Nottingham City Council aspirations Attract, recruit, develop and retain talent Improve engagement & wellbeing Be an employer of choice in Nottingham Generate corporate savings Support the Council’s environmental, sustainability and social responsibility commitments
Reward initiatives Managers’ Toolkit GEM (Going the Extra Mile) Recogntion Scheme Total Reward Brochure Links to Wellbeing and Working Well Programme Flexible Fitness
Product specific materials (flyers, posters, s) Engagement techniques Works Perks newsletter Roadshows Works Perks Champions Group
Scheme savings Over £750,000 in savings in 2015 MYtime & holidayplus schemes alone have generated over £640,000 in savings Over £2 million saved in last 3 years Council savings Employee savings Over £300k pa tax & NI savings from salary sacrifice schemes Annual savings of around £45k on discount scheme Costs for Works Perks benefits are more than covered by salary sacrifice savings, with a proportion of these savings reinvested into scheme growth
New developments Continual reinvestment in scheme growth Increase employee engagement Generate Council savings Learningplus re-launch Drive take-up
The future Further ambitious plans for scheme evolution in partnership with key providers, including- Financial education Health screening Eldercare Vouchers Employee engagement app Consumer analytics
Q & A