Warehouse, distribution and transport organisation Culina Group has seen its 7,000 UK and Ireland-based employees spend more than £600,000 on retail discounts via its employee benefits platform since February 2016.
The organisation originally launched the platform in February 2016, in partnership with Personal Group, in order to boost motivation and engagement across its 50 operating sites. The package also aimed to reinforce a culture of reward and recognition that extended beyond pay.
The platform enables staff to access their core benefits, such as a workplace pension, life assurance and a bonus scheme, as well as a bikes-for-work initiative, childcare vouchers, retail discounts, an employee assistance programme (EAP), hospital plan, death benefit plan, dental and optical benefits and legal assistance.
Employees are also able to access Culina Group’s reward and recognition perks, such as loyalty awards, employee of the month and year acknowledgements and special achievement awards.
In May 2019, the organisation introduced an app, allowing staff to access the benefits package via their mobile phones; this accommodates employees such as HGV drivers and warehouse operatives, who may not have ready access to a computer. More than half (55%) of staff now access their benefits via the app.
As at July 2019, 99% of Culina Group employees agree that the organisation’s benefits package has improved, with staff spending over £600,000 on the available retail discounts.
The organisation has also reported that more than one in 10 (13.5%) of the calls made to the organisation’s EAP occurred outside of traditional working hours. These calls have focused on subjects such as relationships (11.9%), mental health (31.7%) and legal support (31%). Around 7% related to employees’ life events, 6.3% pertained to work issues and 2.4% discussed financial matters.
The organisation communicated to its employees about the launch of the new app using face-to-face onsite visits by the provider to offer demonstrations. Printed training materials covering the benefits package and platform are also given to new staff as part of their induction.
Culina Group is currently considering launching a video doctor service for 2019.
Amy Thomas, HR administrations and systems team leader at Culina Group, said: “We’re really pleased with our benefit and reward package, created with Personal Group.
“We know that a lot of our employees make the most of the various benefits and rewards, but we’re most pleased that we’re able to offer a 24/7 EAP helpline to support our employees whenever they need it. If our employees have difficulties in their personal life, they can seek help privately when they need to, which is reassuring for us to know.”