How we are developing our colleague benefit package

COVID-19 has driven us to remote working and has changed our thinking of how our organisation can, and will, operate in the future. Our colleagues have shown immense resilience over the last year, adapting and changing to ensure our clients continue to have the support they need when they need it.

In 2019, we implemented a new three-year business strategy, focusing on being an organisation where people want to work and feel valued and supported. We acknowledged, as an organisation, we can do more to support our colleagues and that there are changes and investments we can make to provide a better environment for colleagues to work.

We believe we can offer a competitive colleague benefits package — something we are committed to developing over 2021/22, focusing on proven, actionable solutions to supporting colleagues with their wellbeing.

In the meantime, we have implemented several new benefits for colleagues, all of which will come into play from April 2021.

We are increasing the minimum annual leave entitlement from 26 days to 30 day plus bank holidays with the option to purchase additional leave.

On joining Citizens Advice SORT Group, all paid colleagues get 26 days + bank holidays as annual leave.

2020 has shown the importance of family and the need to take leave. We want our colleagues to be able to take a break when they need to and provide a reasonable amount of time so they can spend time with their family, go on holiday or chill on the sofa watching Netflix.

With that in mind, we have decided that as a minimum, everyone’s basic annual leave will increase to 30 days + bank holiday (pro-rata where appropriate). We will also actively support people to take a break, for example, ensuring deadlines are flexible, and staff cover is available.

Sometimes, people want to take longer holidays — this can significantly impact a monthly pay packet, so we are providing colleagues with the opportunity to buy up to three weeks additional leave and spread the cost over the holiday year.

Provide access to Headspace to every member of staff

Colleagues’ wellbeing is very much in the spotlight. As an organisation that cares about our colleagues, we want to provide the support people need to look after their wellbeing, which is why we have partnered with Headspace.

We are keen to provide colleagues with the tools to improve their health and happiness, and Headspace delivers a tested and successful means to support this ambition.

Headspace is an application where people can experience the benefits of meditation anytime, anywhere, and provides guided meditations, animations, articles, and videos to improve the health and happiness of individuals.

Introduce two wellbeing hours in everyone’s working week

We are focused on providing the support our clients need, but it is essential to acknowledge that sometimes the colleagues providing this support need a break.

We want to provide time where colleagues have the opportunity to take a break, get away from the screen and chill. This is why we have put in place two wellbeing hours per week, allowing colleagues to take some time away from the desk to read a book, catch up on the news, or meditate.

Provide access to the Mental Health First Aider training

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an internationally recognised training course that teaches people how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill-health and provide help on a first aid basis.

Working with Citizens Advice Wokingham, we are providing the opportunity for up to 32 colleagues to train to become a mental health first aider helping us increase the accessibility of support to colleges across the organisation.

Support staff to save

There is extensive research that employees who save with credit unions feel more secure financially, feel less stressed at work and are more economically resilient. It helps provide comfort for unexpected expenditure, support planning for retirement, or provide a slush fund for the next holiday.

We will be partnering with a local Credit Union to provide a payroll savings scheme where colleagues can put money into a Credit Union savings account straight from their salary.

Continuing the rollout of Workplace

Our organisation works across four local authority areas and our colleagues are often disbursed our offices and communities. Workplace by Facebook is a great tool to bring colleagues together, not just across Citizens Advice SORT Group, but across the wider Citizens Advice network and we want to continue to increase usage locally.

We already have groups for colleagues with pets and who love to cook and bake. We will continue to create new groups and content for colleagues to interact with.

What’s happening next?

We are committed to continuing the development of our wider colleague benefit package. Over the next year, we will be exploring a range of options, which may include:

• Further annual leave options
• Enhanced flexible working arrangements
• Increased ways of remaining connected whilst working remotely