FLEXIBLE BENEFITS
Gedas UK launches online flex package
Gedas United Kingdom, a member of the Volkswagen Group, has introduced an online flexible benefits scheme, as well as an online benefits solution to communicate total rewards to its 330 UK employees.
Milton Keynes-based Gedas UK has recently unveiled a raft of sweeping cultural changes. The company has developed a number of HR initiatives designed to drive the company forward and help to cultivate its valuable IT talent. Workforce programmes include implementing an e-learning programme, providing a flexible and remote working policy and creating a reward recognition system.
Launch of flex package
Gedas has also launched a new flexible benefits scheme, with the help of 4th Contact. The existing employee benefits package was fairly typical for the motor industry, but was unsuited to the needs of a company seeking to attract the right information technology talent.
Barry Hoffman, head of HR for Gedas UK, explains the thinking behind the benefits overhaul: "We wanted IT talent to be attracted to us, so we needed to offer motivating benefit choices. We had to revamp the benefits programme to suit a variety of employees -- from those who come from the legacy area of IT, to web developers, to those that focus on cutting-edge technology. Plus, we need to look after our support functions, finance, purchasing and so forth. Providing flexible benefits really hit the mark for us."
4th Contact's online flexible benefits programme was launched in June 2005. The most popular benefit choice was private medical insurance, with an 81% take-up rate. Childcare, dental insurance, holiday, critical illness, a discounted shopping web site and health screening are the other choices on offer.
Total reward statements
Gedas also wanted to communicate the rewards package more effectively to the entire workforce. Hoffman says: "We found that employees didn't understand their whole salary package. We typically spend £2,000 per year on an employee's training, we provide long-service awards, critical illness cover, pension, childcare benefits and so forth. With the total reward technology, employees can appreciate that they earn say, £30k in salary, yet they earn nearly half as much again in benefits."
Want to know more?
4th Contact is a leading provider of flexible benefits and total reward technology. For more information, visit www.4thcontact.co.uk
Gedas UK offers advice, planning and support for customer relationship management (CRM), outsourcing, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM), primarily in the automotive and discrete manufacturing industries sector. It employs some 5,200 employees worldwide. To find out more visit www.gedas.co.uk
Posted 3 October 2005