Fair Deal - How happy employees are with pay and benefits
Fair Deal itself doesn’t directly influence another factor. It’s classified as a hygiene factor. Sure, doubling everybody’s salary would make them happy but it wouldn’t make them feel any better about factors such as leadership and management.
Now although pay is not an engager, it is important that pay and benefits are at the right level as to not disengage employees further.
Engineering recruits who were not fully trained at the start of the pandemic were able to continue their development through virtual training sessions. The company invested in new camera equipment to help trainers using Microsoft Teams. Staff can also access learning material via the Workplace platform.
Openreach introduced #ThankYou days, where people tagged others who had supported them through the pandemic. Microsoft Teams, Workplace and emails were used to provide information and advice to staff, many of whom were working from home, and there was a “let's beat loneliness” campaign.
Colleagues who excel are recognised for their performance: managers can nominate individuals for a £50 reward and teams can share up to £500. When the annual awards ceremony was switched to a virtual event, the firm sent hampers to winners' houses so their families could enjoy the celebrations.
Orwell embraced technology in bringing together disparate colleagues during the pandemic. Facebook Workplace was a big hit, providing a hub for information, motivation, celebration and social activities, such as Christmas charades and a best onesie wearer competition. The association invested in 144 laptops to help staff stay in touch.
A therapist was brought in for four months to help staff traumatised by a Covid-19 outbreak in their workplace. Additional wellbeing resources were introduced for all staff during the pandemic, including free NHS health checks, weight management and stop smoking support.
Alongside a generous suite of benefits, there are personalised rewards. To thank a colleague for solving an issue outside his normal hours, the CEO arranged a meal for him and his wife at their favourite restaurant. Wellbeing tokens, given to reward and thank colleagues, can be used at local businesses.
The company is passionate about creating digital products that are truly purposeful and effective, and the contribution of individual Spuds is regularly acknowledged. Potato also says: “As our head of the business, MD Phil Wright has been a rock, and he and our leadership team have received much positive feedback.”
Benefits include an enhanced pension scheme; Bupa; an employee assistance programme; and access to NABS, the support organisation for the advertising and media industry. Parental leave is above statutory; there is life assurance and group protection insurance; and corporate accounts cover wellbeing and mindfulness coaching by the likes of Headspace and Fidlleaf.
Potato donated food to NHS Heroes at University College London and matched staff donations to several funds in the wake of the death of George Floyd. It continues to support and promote black-owned organisations and initiatives through the agency's online presence
In December Randstad launched a weekly lockdown wellbeing programme which includes managers forums on wellbeing topics and expert speaker sessions on issues such as resilience, stress, bereavement, and financial wellbeing. It also runs peer forums on topics such as working parents and lone workers.
Randstad offers attractive salaries and a competitive commission structure for recruitment consultants. For shared service/head office employees, it offers a bonus scheme ranging between 2.5% - 7.5% of total annual salary. Other perks include a medical cash plan, income protection, gym membership discounts, discounted cinema tickets and your birthday off.
Randstad has banned plastic cups at its head office and has provided all employees with a reusable travel cup to cut down waste. Its printing suppliers are committed to balancing out its environmental impact by planting trees and have planted 1,000 “Randstad” trees last year, reducing the firm's carbon footprint.
A group was set up for parents during the pandemic so they could share ideas on home-schooling and keeping their youngsters entertained. Letters and sweets were sent to the children, thanking them for supporting their parents while they worked from home.
The mutual's employee rewards include performance-related bonuses and pay rises, extra holiday on birthdays and instant recognition awards. Sometimes staff do something that deserves an immediate response, so managers are able to offer on-the-spot rewards such as chocolates and gift vouchers.
Shepherds is working on making the business kinder to the environment. Initiatives include ordering fruit from a company that promises to plant a tree for every basket purchased. The number of letters sent out last year was 14,000 fewer than in 2019, thanks to digitised communications.
Managers undergo a five-day leadership development programme. Personal goals are set and measured each year or more frequently as appropriate. Discussion between leaders and their managers were the keystone of support offered through the pandemic. The frequency of conversations increased while working from home and ideas were gathered and implemented.
The pandemic was a catalyst for a significant increase in communication, particularly to deliver fast information direct to every employee. It initiated “All Hands” calls to explain the company approach to working from home, coping with home schooling, furlough and temporary reductions in working hours.
Solid Solutions offers an end-of-year company bonus to maximise achievement in the final months of the year. Benefits for staff include free dental and life insurance and staff discounts.
Square One's round-the-world fitness challenge proved a brilliant way to improve wellbeing and develop a “we're all in this together” attitude after lockdown began. Staff could run, walk or cycle to contribute their portion of the mileage. A virtual running club and weekly fitness challenges also boosted mind and body.
Square One offers a unique company car scheme; once employees have achieved certain criteria they are entitled to a company car or a cash alternative. At the top end of the scheme, they can drive a car worth up to £35,000.
Square One's charity initiatives remained as creative as ever despite the pandemic. Under the dress down code, employees donate £2 a month to be able to dress casually for work. One staff member raised £1,500 in 48 hours by having his head shaved live.
Staff receive an appraisal twice a year, in spring and autumn, to monitor and identify areas of improvement. Managers are asked to appraise their colleagues based on the SMART objective, which requires constructive comments to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic or Relevant and Timely.
Staff working from home during the pandemic received advice on health, travel, stress and managing family life, while their professional training continued online. The social side of the office was maintained, too – yoga poses were held, team drinks were drunk and the choir sang.
Employees are rewarded for innovation and good citizenship. When Stewarts introduced mental health first-aiders, it invested part of its training budget and supported employees' time to allow them to attend training that gave them a recognised qualification. The group reported additional job satisfaction in being able to provide the service.
During the pandemic, managers were given the opportunity to extend their skills. The trust's Over the Rainbow Recovery Curriculum prompted staff to consider their own wellbeing as well as developing their professional practice. All leaders obtained a mental health first aid qualification during the first wave of the coronavirus.
The trust introduced a new Vantage Plus benefits package after seeking staff feedback at the start of the pandemic. It includes a range of free wellbeing tools, such as counselling, menopause support and health checks, plus additional benefits such as dental plans for longer-serving staff.
The schools consistently support their local areas through charitable and community initiatives. One pupil led a fundraising campaign that collected £60,000 for the funerals of Covid-19 victims. Other pupils supported local residents during the pandemic with gifts and letters and helped churches to supply food parcels.
The charity has a good mix of senior leaders who have been in the organisation for up to 20 years and those for fewer than five. This keeps some of the history and narrative of Young Devon in balance with the constant need to develop to meet young people's needs.
Young Devon has developed a set of annual workforce commitments and in the past year these have included improving public awareness of its work – achieved through changes to its marketing and partnerships with the BBC and local companies – and reviewing pay and benefits, including implementing the national living wage.
Employees get 30 days' annual leave – in effect 38, including bank holidays and the like. This amounts to 10 days more than statutory and five days more than UK average. The charity believes this is crucial recovery and rest time for staff who undertake demanding work with young people.
