Competition in education has never been greater. We have seen the cost of a university degree behind the upsurge in paid apprenticeships, academy trusts constantly vying to attract pupils and families to chose their local academy over a rival's, and colleges and universities competing hard to fill their courses with the best students. When the universities watchdog recently announced steps to clamp down on "essay mills" that help students cheat their way to a degree, most of us agreed it was sensible action. It does somewhat bring into contrast though, pressures on the system, with students tempted to cheat to get the grades that justify their investment.
Increased competition is in part why establishments have adopted more commercial operating models. The best schools, colleges and universities are out performing their rivals from how they market themselves, to attracting the best teaching staff that motivate their students to achieve the highest grades. Human resources departments are less of an admin function and instead, razor focussed on attracting, engaging and retaining talent, and building defensible positions centred around their people and engagement strategies.
Employee Benefits is one such strategy with education establishments continually improving the remuneration package offered to staff, securing their competitive edge over rivals.
Benefits schemes help salaries go further and provide a mixture of fun, consumable options.
The most popular benefits being brought into existing remuneration packages are:
- Healthcare – including private medical insurance, dental cover and critical illness cover.
- Exercise and fitness – including Cycle to Work, a government approved initiative that gives employees the opportunity to own a top-of-the-range bike and Gymflex which saves up to 40% on gym memberships.
- Childcare vouchers – a simple way of saving tax and NI on the cost of childcare.
- Discounts - with thousands of exclusive offers available at any time, employees can save money on a range of items from holidays to supermarket shops.
- Onsite benefits – there are many easy to introduce options including haircuts, massages and free fruit. These types of benefits are low cost and can really improve morale.
If you are reviewing your scheme these are our top 'must haves' when choosing a platform and employee benefits provider:
- All demographics amongst your staff are catered for and staff can choose benefits to match their lifestyle.
- An intuitive, easy to manage platform with dashboard analytics that offer valuable insights such as scheme use, adoption rates and popular benefits.
- A full suite of eye-catching communication tools to share the benefits with your staff and optimise engagement.
- Fixed fees and no hidden costs, so there are no nasty surprises.
- The latest SaaS technology so you are always on the latest version of the software, available 24/7 on any device, with phone and live chat support at your fingertips.
Want to find out more? Give us a call or drop us an e-mail. Our experienced, friendly team are here to help you.