Your guide to the perfect employee benefit launch

You’ve done all the research, chosen the right employee benefit scheme and prepared everything so you’re ready to launch. Yet this is where some companies can go wrong. Ensuring your employees understand the scheme and how it benefits them, making it clear and easy for people to get started, and giving staff access to FAQs are all easier said than done.

We’ve put 18,000 cars on the road and counting, and have more than a decade’s experience in implementing salary sacrifice cars, so we know what customers and employees value most. Here are our insights so you can launch your employee benefit scheme with a bang.

Get set for success with clear goals

Maybe benchmarking has revealed a gap in your total reward offering. Perhaps you want to support organisational objectives with additional benefits that will attract and retain the best talent. Or you’re not happy with your existing benefits provider.

Whatever your reason, being clear about why you need a particular new employee benefit will help you:

1. Decide which providers to invite to pitch
2. Create an effective scorecard to consistently and objectively rate suppliers
3. Set clear KPIs against which to measure the success of your benefit implementation – like improved wellbeing or reduced CO2 emissions

Pick the perfect provider

The right provider is key to the successful launch and ongoing operation of your new benefit so you’ll need to understand whether providers give enough choice for customers.

Take a salary sacrifice car scheme, for example, some providers only offer electric vehicles, whereas at Tusker, we have found offering the widest possible range of petrol, electric and hybrid vehicles is better for employees. The variety helps meet the needs of different employees, rather than catering just for those who can drive electric. Especially in the current climate, it’s also important to check the small print for protections from situations including ill health or redundancy. This has always been a big value add for the Tusker scheme because it gives immediate peace of mind. Also check your provider has:

• Consumer-standard technology – employees expect benefits to be served via slick, intuitive tech that’s designed to service employee benefits first and foremost.
• Administrative support – the best providers have the right teams in place to remove the administrative burden from you.
• Seamless onboarding – look out for suppliers with a clear onboarding process and the personnel to ensure a smooth and successful implementation, with dedicated account management beyond your launch.

Perfect your pre-launch preparations

Successful benefit launches rely on the right team. We recommend including people from HR, reward, payroll, finance, communications and, if relevant, compliance.

To streamline the process, the legal paperwork can usually be completed alongside other activity. Public sector employers should look for providers who work with a range of frameworks. This will give you cost-effective access to employee benefits with all the normal safeguards, while saving time and money. Having been awarded a number of Pan Government Collaborative Framework agreements and OJEU tenders, Tusker has been able to effectively template provision for public sector organisations throughout the UK.

Introduce everyone with a kick-off meeting and cover key milestones so everyone’s clear on who’s doing what and when. This should take no more than two hours and your provider should shoulder the brunt of the workload. Leaving your team with around half a dozen actions.

Then communications – one of the most important parts of any benefit launch – need to be agreed. A good provider should support you with comms that can be branded and adapted to suit your organisation.

Just before your benefit goes live, we recommend a pre-launch meeting with your provider to discuss next steps and ensure everything is ready for the big launch.

How to implement your new employee benefit programme

It’s always best to launch your new benefit with a communications bang. You’ll need to explain:

• What’s in it for employees
• How the new employee  benefit works (if appropriate)
• Likely savings with real-life examples
• How to take action

Consider holding a benefits roadshow or online event so employees can see physical benefits and ask any questions. A good provider will help you organise and host this event to maximise the exposure for your employees. We also recommend ongoing communications, planned a year in advance, to keep your benefits front of mind. Again, a good provider will work with you throughout the duration of the benefit to ensure communications are consistently delivered to your employees and that they make the most of the available benefit.

Managing your benefit

When your new benefit is first taken up, ensure your account manager is on hand to walk you through the process. This level of support ensures super-slick administration and provides employees with a great experience.

We always highlight the importance of completing the P46 immediately upon receipt of the benefit (as appropriate) so deductions begin promptly and line up with employees’ expectations.

Rolling out a new benefit might feel a little daunting, but with the right provider you’ll be in safe hands. By following a sophisticated, well-trodden launch process, you can be sure that the scheme will launch successfully. And that it will end up running itself.

Tusker are market leaders in car salary sacrifice schemes with decades of experience advising companies on what’s best for them, from green fleets to grey fleets. It’s our job to make it easy to drive a brand new car and enjoy all the savings with none of the hassle. Whilst we offer all the security and reach of a big company, the dedication, support and value for money you get makes us feel more like a family business.