An Integrated Voluntary Benefits Strategy

What's that then?

In an industry where we are falling over terms and terminology, many of them with more than one interpretation, we thought twice before introducing a new phrase. But Integrated Voluntary Benefits is really a simple and very worthwhile concept and it presents a real alternative to Flex, or what is often called Flex but actually doesn't amount to much that is flexible.

The IVB model

Integrated Voluntary Benefits is really simple. It is simply our portfolio of voluntary benefits, paid for by staff from their own money that are collected together into a single, seamless, employee proposition.

Key characteristics of truly Integrated Voluntary Benefits are :

  • A single website, with a single login accessing all of the voluntary benefits
  • A telephone, email and web helpdesk providing assistance to employees across all the benefits
  • A single, integrated communications plan under a single brand and single messaging system that clearly communicates the proposition to staff.

Which benefits are included?

When we are working with clients on an integrated voluntary benefits strategy, we consider the following benefits:

  • Employee Discounts including
    • Online Discounts & Online Cashback
    • Telephone Discounts
    • Discounts obtained In-Store
    • Discounted Gift Vouchers
  • Childcare Vouchers
  • Cycle to Work
  • Healthcare benefits including Dental Insurance, PMI and Healthcare Cash Plans

The key to a successful integrated voluntary benefits strategy is the employee discounts strand. Employee discounts, by which we mean discounts on general shopping and services such as groceries, petrol, clothing, toys, gifts and holidays are the easiest to understand and communicate of all employee benefits. There is no mention of salary sacrifice, no mention of Flex, tax or NI, no complicated forms or changes to contracts of employment to agree. Shopping discounts are simple, therefore you can expect high take-up and rapid, regular use.

By spearheading an Integrated Voluntary Benefits strategy with employee discounts, we create regular use and familiarity with a benefits programme. Through employee discounts we can  introduce other voluntary benefits, such as Childcare Vouchers and Cycle to Work programmes and other benefits that your organisation has for its employees. It's an easier communications job for these benefits once we have the employee already engaged with the benefits scheme on the employee discounts level.

Ease of Communications and Employee Value

The diagram below shows how a well designed communication programme will use easy to communicate employee discounts to bring employees into the benefits programme. Once employees are engaged, we can cross-promote and use individually tailored communications to explain salary sacrifice products to the subsets of employees who will generate real, high value from them.

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© Asperity Employee Benefits Ltd 2007

Asperity Employee Benefits Ltd is registered in England at 90 Westbourne Grove, London. W2 5RT. Registered company number 05696250. Telephone 020 7229 0349.

Asperity Employee Benefits provides the UK's largest staff discount product designed for easy integration into an employer's existing employee benefits package. The level of staff discounts available is higher than in any other employee benefits scheme in the UK. Combined with the biggest range of staff discount providers, Asperity offers employers maximum value from their investment in employee benefits. Level of employee discounts and the number of participating suppliers offering an employee discount are key factors in driving usage of a staff discount scheme. Asperity delivers market beating results on both the level of staff discount and the number of suppliers offering an employee discount, ensuring high value payback for employers.