Employee Benefits

There’s no doubt that absenteeism is on the rise, with AccessPeopleHR reporting a 55% increase in sickness absence rates since 2019. So are people all getting sicker, is the pandemic to blame, or is there more nuance to the issue? 

While illness among staff is an unfortunate inevitability, empowering your people to prioritise their health and preventing stress can help to minimise staff illness and burnout. Here’s some things that you can address to help reduce the sick days taken in your office. 

Let people take sick days! 

This might sound counterintuitive but hear us out. When employees feel pressured to go into the workplace when they’re sick, not only are they not getting the rest they need to get better, they could be spreading their sickness to others.

Sometimes people need to be reminded that it’s okay to take sick days, especially when they’re contagious. If rest is needed to recuperate and get better, then this is what will ultimately have the employee returning to the workplace sooner. Plus, having someone come to work with a violent cough and spreading it to coworkers, clients, and potentially customers doesn’t help anyone!

Work from home 

If your workplace has the facilities to enable working from home, this could be another option. Your staff member may be contagious with a sniffly cold but feeling fine to work. In this case, encouraging the employee to work from home means that they aren’t spreading their sickness, they have easy access to medicines, and if they need to lie down and rest, they are already home. Pushing employees to get up and out when they need to rest up could make them feel worse! Better to work from home than not work at all.

Flexibility and balance 

A common cause of employee absence is burnout, with as many as 20% of workers taking time off due to stress in the past year. What we can learn from this, is that burnout is bad from both employer and employee, and prevention is key. Enforcing policy and promoting working habits that are sustainable can help staff to have a healthy work/life balance. 

Taking breaks whether working within labour intensive or office jobs is essential. Physically demanding work necessitates physical rest, and having a screen break to stretch your legs in the office can actually make you more productive!

Another thing to remember is prompting employees to use their holiday entitlement. Ensuring that regular holiday is taken will provide staff with a break and reduce the likelihood of burnout. 

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

The strain on employees may not end when they get home. Not all stress-related leave is solely related to the workplace, so providing additional support for stressing factors that may be impacting your people outside of work can reassure employees.  

That’s where an EAP comes in. From legal assistance to financial guidance, speaking to an expert could help to smooth out any issues going on in an employee’s life. Sometimes counselling or advice is what is needed!

Health Benefits 

Of course one of the main ways to prevent staff absenteeism is ensuring that their physical and mental health is as good as it can be. Not all health issues are preventable, but aiding employees in taking care of themselves is a great start. 

Implementing a health and wellbeing programme could work wonders, with our package including an EAP, gym discounts, savings on food and supplement subscriptions, and plenty of other resources.

Or, opting for employee health insurance benefits may provide a safety net for when life just happens. 

Vocalise it!

Once you’ve got a clear policy in place, health and wellness benefits, and flexible working, it’s your job to communicate it to employees. Making your team aware and having reminders and demos of any platforms is the best way to increase benefit uptake, increase employee engagement, and get employees focusing on their health. 

And if you’ve got benefits and a workplace culture that you’re proud of, that’s worth shouting about!

Contact the My Staff Shop team to learn more about our EAP and Employee Health Benefits.

The My Staff Shop Platform is a fantastic staff benefit, but how exactly is it used? While there are various perks such as the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and the exciting monthly lottery, let’s focus on how the employee discount scheme works.

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There are so many supermarkets, high street stores, subscriptions, and online services that staff can save money with when they use My Staff Shop. Scroll for inspiration or search your favourite shop to see if you could get a discount whenever you make a purchase.

Don’t worry, we’ve organised everything so you can easily see supermarkets, shops, holidays, dining, and more! Simply find the category that appeals to you, and see which stores you could be saving money at.

Purchase

Found the shop you’re looking for? Great! Now it’s time to buy a gift voucher for your chosen shop. Make sure to read the terms to make sure you can use in-store/online. You can also receive a reloadable Love2Shop card which is usable at over 90 high street shops and attractions; simply top it up before you shop!

Upon purchase, you will be given the option of receiving a discounted voucher, or saving in the form of our virtual currency, Reward Beans (but more on those later).

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When you’re in store, be sure to either bring your printed voucher, or show the cashier your e-voucher to spend it.

If you have an online voucher code, activate it and paste the code into the gift voucher section to apply the voucher.

Simple!

App

Yes, we have an app for that! Suitable for Android and IOS, the My Staff Shop App is easy to navigate. Pop in your login details to see your favourites, thrifty Daily Offers, and check out the new deals!

Reward Beans

If you choose to convert your savings into Reward Beans, you can save up more! Create a savings goal such as holiday, charity, or ISA, and reap the rewards as you shop!

Once you’re ready to ‘withdraw’ your savings, you can do this through purchasing more vouchers on the Platform.

Request a demo to get a walkthrough of our Platform, and see for yourself the fantastic savings at your fingertips!

This month is Stress Awareness Month, and managing all the things that life throws your way is not always easy. One in 14 UK adults feel stressed every single day, and this is on the rise. From responsibilities at home to tense work deadlines, it can be hard for some people to keep their heads above the water. Often employees feel like they have nowhere to go to help relieve some of these stresses without feeling like a burden to their employers. 39% of employees asked in a recent survey said they felt fear that they would be judged negatively if they were to open up about their mental health. It is time companies transform this narrative, and offering employee wellbeing assistance will help your team grow stronger, and relieve some of the pressures they may be facing.

Employee wellbeing is not just about mental health, but it is an important factor to think about when considering what your organisation is offering to employees. It is suggested that almost 13% of all sickness absence days in the UK can be attributed to mental health conditions. Because of this, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are now vital in the modern workplace.

EAPs can provide assistance in many areas of life. Not only can employees access help from counsellors and bypass long waitlists, but they can also receive legal support and money and budgeting assistance. But it’s important to pair this external assistance with internal support. Management can offer regular meetings or encourage open-door policies to talk to their employees about any issues they are having, without judgement. Setting the tone for a productive but understanding environment will make sure problems are not swept under the carpet, and the business and its employees can thrive.

Investing in a strong employee wellbeing programme not only relieves employee’s individual stresses, but also the company’s in general. Stress within the workforce can cause long-term absences and a decrease in productivity and overall morale, leaving businesses with an underperforming team, and more pressure to achieve results that without help, would be left uncompleted. And it’s not just beneficial to your current employees. A well-rounded wellness programme can attract prospective employees. For so many people, their career is not just about their pay, but the environment and opportunities a business has. After all, the majority of their time each day will be spent at work, and having wellbeing assistance readily available is an attractive offering. 

Ensure what your organisation is offering to staff will hit the mark on exactly what matters the most to your employees. Make sure your staff wellness package is tailored to meet the needs of your specific business; whether it be an EAP, health insurance or financial support. It has been reported that the rate of women who suffer from work-related stress is 25% higher than that of men. So make sure that everyone’s voice in your company is being heard when discussing ways to combat stress in the workplace, and communicate effectively with your employees about the most pressing issues that they need addressing. It is not always about what is offered, it’s also about taking the time to understand your employees’ specific needs and encouraging them to open up and feel respected, and ultimately, that they are receiving the help they may need.

For more information on employee wellbeing, book a free demo with our friendly team

Most people are saving towards something. In a recent survey 68% of Brits have some money saved up – whether it’s for a new car, moving house, retirement plans or a holiday, people are planning ahead. But a monthly salary can only go so far, and the temptation (or sometimes necessity) to dip into a savings pot can be all too easy. So how can My Staff Shop help your employees start saving smartly, and expand your employee benefits offerings? Look no further than an ISA through My Staff Shop.

An ISA, or Individual Savings Account is pretty much what it says on the tin. It is an account that holds cash and/or investments without to paying tax on any interest, investment income or gains on the money held within the account. With interest rates fluctuating all the time, having a Stocks and Shares ISA like the ones offered by My Staff Shop means not only the money you are putting in is safe from being taxed, but also stocks and shares perform historically much better than cash & the rate of inflation over long periods of time. With all these perks, it’s clear why there has been an uptake in the amount of ISAs opened. In 2020, there was an increase of 310,000 Stocks and Shares ISAs opened, bringing the total to 2.73 million open accounts. So what is special about opening an account through My Staff Shop?

Opening a Cushon Stocks and Shares ISA with your My Staff Shop account means that not only can you add money from your wages or other savings accounts, but also your earnt Reward Beans. Any Reward Beans you have collected through purchasing gift cards or through our cashback links can be added directly into your ISA. So using your My Staff Shop account really is a no brainer if you or your employees are looking for a simple way to start their savings journey. Sometimes starting to put aside money can be a daunting task. But if you are regularly using the My Staff Shop platform to purchase your groceries, fuel, cinema tickets or clothing (to name just a few!) then you can passively start saving with little effort, and without adding more stress at the beginning of the month. You can even transfer as little as £10 a month, making it flexible to your financial situations. 

With an ISA set up through your My Staff Shop account, you can create valuable savings for the long term, just by adjusting your spending habits and shopping through the platform. So next time you pick up a new pair of jeans or grab a latte – you may just be investing in your future!

To learn more about savings and discounts, request a free demo.

Happy Employee Appreciation Day 2024! Of course appreciating employees should be a year-round thing, but sometimes having a reminder to take a step back and look at how you’re showing staff that you acknowledge and are grateful for their contributions is useful. In celebration of Employee Appreciation Day, here are the top ways to make employees feel appreciated.

Verbal feedback

Gestures

In the same vein as verbal feedback, gestures to say thank you can brighten an employee’s day instantly. Whether that’s getting a box of doughnuts for the office, a thank you card to an individual that’s gone above and beyond, or a bonus if you have the means.

Communicate to remote employees

In an age of hybrid and remote working, it has become necessary to get creative and find solutions to any miscommunication or isolation that could come of working from home. Whether it’s scheduling in a regular 15 minute coffee and catch up to discuss both what people are working on and also a more general chat, or organising social events to provide a chance of face to face interaction, there are ways to get everyone involved.

Show trust

Micromanaging and unnecessarily questioning employees is a fast track to making them feel surveilled. While it’s important to keep in the loop with your team, finding the balance to show that you are happy with their output and trust them to manage their time and tasks effectively is key.

Enable growth

An effective way to show appreciation to staff is by proving that you find them a valuable asset and wish to invest in their future. In knowing that there’s an opportunity for growth at the company, employees will feel appreciated.

Personalised benefits

Reward staff with benefits that they want. By offering up a flexible benefits package, such as discounts and savings at a huge variety of shops, they can pick and choose when and where they want to receive their benefit. As a result, everyone feels equally rewarded!

Celebrate milestones

Working at the same place for a long time can represent both security and mundanity, depending on attitudes towards the workplace. By celebrating loyalty and long-standing working relationships, employees will know that their commitment to the company hasn’t gone unnoticed, and this can boost morale in a big way.

Encourage peer to peer recognition

Employee appreciation doesn’t exclusively apply to management; promoting a culture of appreciation can really boost morale and workplace relationships. Perhaps having employees nominate one another monthly for reward tokens (e.g. gift cards/a half-day off), could help them to really think about how hard their peers are working.

Create a pleasant workspace

2024 is starting off with more financial uncertainty. Data shows that the UK has fallen into a recession, and with world politics & economic decline causing more concern, keeping your money exactly where you need it is important to make sure this year can feel more financially secure.

Everyone has a different idea of what things count as a luxury, and what are essentials. Consider what you yourself would save up on, and what you would splash out on: would they line up with all of your colleagues and employee’s ideas of essentials and luxuries? This is why having access to My Staff Shop, a savings platform that’s available 24/7 will mean that they can make a saving at the right time, not just when pay day rolls around. Your employees will be able to access a wide range of retailers across various trades. And the best part: My Staff Shop do all the hard work of saving for you and your employees, compiling discounts, corporate rates & cashback offers all in one place.

A business no-brainer

It can be hard to put the overall savings your employees and your business can make into context. With My Staff Shop, an individual can save around £1000 per year when fully utilising their My Staff Shop account. If a business were to give 200 colleagues a £1,000 pay rise, it would cost the company £200,000 annually. The real issue here is that the employee will only see around £667 of that in their bank account after taxes, which when everyone is feeling the pinch, is a big cut.

Providing the tools your employees need to save on daily expenses will make sure each individual employee can save money on the exact things they need. Whether it’s their weekly shopping, clothes for their children, or treats out with their friends and family.

Making R&R personal

Reward and Recognition is a familiar sounding offer for most HR managers. In a recent survey, 55% of UK employees wanted more Reward and Recognition implemented, and making sure that those hard working employees feel valued and listened to is the foundation of a strong and successful team. So why not make sure these rewards are personal, and tailored to each individual that receives them?

Awarding employees and colleagues My Staff Shop ‘Reward Beans’ will give them full access to whichever retailer they would like to spend their well deserved reward with. In some cases, it may be put towards the latest tech, or home improvements, and in others, a meal out or that week’s food shop taken care of. Giving employees the freedom to make their own decisions on what they want their rewards to go towards will make these rewards much more personal and memorable to the individual. It will also encourage hard work across your company, and inspire more to work hard, and have it pay off.

Using Reward Beans also means that employees can save each given reward in their My Staff Shop account. Combining these RBs with those earnt through cashback or gift card purchases means that by the end of the year, your employees can have a nice savings pot, ready for holiday bookings, Christmases or birthdays.

A little extra step to success!

It isn’t easy to break the habit of a lifetime. Most people prefer to shop in a very specific way: some enjoy heading into their local shopping centre with friends, some love to sit and scroll away online for their shopping, and some mix and match with click and collect at a time that suits them. My Staff Shop focuses on encouraging employees to continue shopping the way they love, but adding My Staff Shop into their shopping plans. Before you click continue to checkout, or head over to the tills; with a few extra clicks, you can save money on the shopping you’d already planned to do! Adding a tool like my staff shop to your belt can help stretch pay in a way that is simple, and straight forward.

Let’s break the savings down in an average week: the food shop at Tesco, a takeaway from Just Eat, a new book or game from Waterstones & a present purchased online from Amazon or Etsy. My Staff Shop can offer discounts on these retailers and many more, showing just how easy it is to find a saving on everything your employees would want.

Interested in discounts for employees? Request a free demo today.

Thinking about wellbeing isn’t something reserved just for Blue Monday. Employee wellbeing is important, and your team appreciates you not only stating that, but making sure you walk the walk when it comes to policy and practice. If you feel like you could be doing more to help employees to manage their wellness, there are things that you can do to support your staff further.

Actions speak louder than words

When it comes to wellbeing, there can be a lot of virtue signalling that ultimately isn’t acted on. Claiming to have a positive work culture and support employee health and wellbeing is all well and good, but actioning these words and prioritising your staff is a big part of it.

By implementing comprehensive wellbeing policies, keeping staff up to date with relevant training surrounding mental health, and ensuring that their wellbeing is taken seriously, you can ensure that employees feel cared for and able to care for themselves properly. Offering up mental health days or simply not being too stringent on sickness days can allow your team to rest up and feel better.

Removing the stigma

Mental health can be a difficult topic to broach for a lot of people, owing to years of social shame and stigma. While things are much better than they used to be, we still have a long way to go. The shifting in attitudes over time has helped to address how we can improve mental health and wellbeing.

By opening the conversation, creating a non-judgemental atmosphere, and showing that feelings are valid, the stigma behind mental health issues can be minimised. While you may not personally be the go to person for employees to discuss issues, creating wellbeing contacts within the workplace gives your people someone to go to. Whether that’s someone who regularly checks in on the team or your employees know they can go to them if they need to discuss more personal issues; ensuring that this person is adequately trained is important.

Promote regular breaks

Sometimes people need to be told to take a break. Maybe they’re just hard-workers that get too fixated on tasks or perhaps they are worried about getting into trouble for not working hard enough. Well, as breaks can boost mood and reduce stress (in addition to improving productivity), taking them over the course of the workday is hugely beneficial.

If the job entails sitting at a desk all day, promoting screen breaks and movement can give employees a fresh focus upon return. If work is more physically demanding, allowing rest breaks will help your team to recuperate their energy. It may not be practical to have constant long breaks, but a few ten minute breaks throughout the day is an idea.

Bring on the benefits

There are offerings that you can provide to your employees to enable them to prioritise wellness. For example, having an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) gives employees resources and services to help with any personal problems they may encounter. From legal aid and financial advice to counselling services, having an EAP available to your team gives them a place to go when they need help.

Another way to help employees on their wellbeing journey is by offering discounts for any products or services that could help them. From savings on mindfulness services to gym discounts, you can help employees to feel their best by making health and wellness easier and more affordable.

Check please!

Checking in on your staff is a good way to see how they are doing. Regular one-to-ones are a great way to ensure that your team is happy with the workload, the culture, the working processes and any other day-to-day operations. Getting swept away with work and forgetting to check in can happen, and that’s why scheduling in regular catch-ups gives you a chance to survey staff satisfaction and hear individual experiences.

Listen up!

One of the most effective ways to understand what employees need is to listen. Asking for feedback will give you answers, and by creating anonymous questionnaires and surveys you can receive honest responses about the wellbeing of your employees.

Include questions about what they like and what they’d like to see more of, and something might pop up that you didn’t even think about. The best way to know about your employees’ wellbeing is to hear straight from the horse’s mouth!

Interested in wellbeing benefits for employees? Request a free demo today.