The cost-of-living crisis in the UK is still hitting both businesses and their employees hard. As operational costs rise and consumers tighten their belts, businesses face the dual challenge of maintaining profitability while ensuring their staff are adequately compensated.
The key is to empower your employees. In the midst of the escalating cost-of-living crisis, new research reveals a stark reality: One example…87% of hospitality workers’ mental health is worsening because of financial concerns, exacerbating an already challenging situation. With wages stagnating and essential expenses on the rise, workers face mounting challenges, including housing and food insecurity, limiting their ability to save and thrive. According to recent studies, nearly 60% of workers struggle with financial stress, with over 40% citing it as a major concern affecting their overall wellbeing.
Amidst these challenges, one pioneering solution that has emerged is Earned Wage Access, which revolutionises the traditional pay cycle by providing instant access to earned wages, empowering employees to navigate their financial obligations with newfound flexibility and control.
By eliminating the need to wait for payday, new employee benefits providers enable workers to address immediate expenses without resorting to high-interest loans, thereby alleviating financial stress and promoting overall wellbeing.
Recent user surveys conducted by one industry provider underscore this impact, with 92% feeling more in control of their money thanks to Earned Wage Access and 88% being more likely to stay working at their current employer when this benefit is offered.
Another key solution is supporting workers with financial wellbeing benefits and education to reduce financial stress and help them better manage their finances.
These can take many forms such as personalised educational resources, financial coaching, money management tools, employee discounts, and flexible pay options, among other things.
PwC revealed that financially stressed employees are 5 times more likely to be distracted at work, highlighting the potential productivity gains for employers. By investing in these programs, hospitality companies can therefore enhance both employee wellbeing and operational resilience.
Another key focus are smart budgeting strategies which can significantly benefit companies during the cost-of-living crisis. By regularly monitoring expenses, implementing energy efficiency measures, optimising inventory management, adjusting staffing levels based on seasonal demand, and negotiating bulk purchasing agreements, companies can reduce operational costs and improve financial stability.
For employees, smart budgeting strategies are equally crucial. Creating a detailed monthly budget, setting aside an emergency fund, prioritising debt reduction, automating savings, and utilising employee discounts can help workers manage their finances more effectively. These practices reduce financial stress, increase disposable income, and provide a buffer against rising living costs, ultimately fostering a more engaged and productive workforce.
Where do you start? Well, you can talk to professionals such as myself who mitigate these employee risks…or if nothing else have a look at the Government website www.moneyhelper.org.uk where you can find simple and straightforward with tools to direct your employees.
As a business owner, how much value do you place on your brand reputation? How much value do you place in holding the trust of your audience?
It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, or if you’re a small business or a huge company, you’re trading on that trust. Marketing can help you build a presence and profile, but marketing alone cannot build this trust.
For that you need Public Relations, and this is seven ways PR can elevate your brand and bring business success.
Public relations is all about credibility.
Business X approaches PR agency Y; they want to be seen as legitimate, trustworthy, and professional. Agency Y rolls up their sleeves, crafting a narrative that does exactly that.
Now, it would be easy to think PR is just about getting your name in the papers. But this is a rather outmoded view of what public relations delivers. But it’s still a commonly held viewpoint that PR is just about media coverage.
Media relations is still a big part of what we do, because if you’re building credibility and trust, third-party trust signals are everything. When respected industry publications highlight your achievements or innovations, it creates a kind of credibility that no amount of paid advertising can buy.
That third-party endorsement, whether through media placements, speaking at events or tactically placed thought leadership content, is like gold dust for your business profile.
But third-party endorsement is no longer the sole remit of ‘ traditional media’ it can come in the form of influencers, industry analysts, ambassadors and so much more… and it works in multiple directions too. Let’s take podcasts as an example. You can launch a podcast and the guests you bring into your podcast can act as third-party endorsement, that you have effectively created yourself.
Third-party endorsement has the potential of adding value to your business, in a way you cannot achieve on your own.
When we talk about “brand reputation,” what are we really talking about? It’s quite a loaded term.
It brings up notions of public perception and business standing, but it’s almost intangible. Understanding reputation within a business context is evolving, and it’s evolving for the better.
Your brand’s reputation isn’t just some fuzzy concept; it’s an incredibly valuable asset, and it’s fuelled by everything you say and do.
PR professionals are like strategic guardians who proactively manage your public image. They help you control the narrative before little issues snowball into big ones. But great agencies aren’t spin doctors.
Great agencies are the ones who recognise issues and crises from a distance, then help keep you true to your values and ethos by avoiding the root cause entirely.
In today’s hyper-connected world, a well-managed reputation can be the difference between thriving and merely keeping your head above water.
Effective PR isn’t just about getting your name out there; it’s about strategically positioning your business for growth.
To this extent, PR isn’t a vanity project and strategic media coverage can do a whole lot more than make you feel good about seeing your name in print. It can:
PR folks aren’t just media hounds. They’re master communicators who understand how to craft messages that hit home across multiple platforms.
Marketing and PR are not about overloading a funnel with as much content and messaging as possible and hoping for the best.
Great PR and marketing is about honing in on what’s special and unique about your business and making that the central narrative. It is about telling great stories with this at its heart. PR can help you:
This approach, which blends creativity and strategy, ensures that when you speak, people don’t only listen but remember.
There’s no escaping the fact that budgets have a major effect on marketing decisions. We see this in the growing importance of PR as a cost-effective alternative to traditional advertising.
Compared to splashy ad campaigns, PR can offer a significantly higher return on investment. Because when done right, it can compound over time.
That’s where the real bang for your buck comes in.
PR generates predominantly organic results, which audiences find more trustworthy and engaging.
Starting from a position of earned media rather than paid placements can help you win and build audience trust. Then, over time, you introduce more paid elements across your full PR and marketing mix.
The amplification across paid and earned, shared and owned can spread your message exponentially and incrementally.
Now, this is quite a high-stakes area of PR and one where no business is immune.
At face value, it’s easy to see crisis management solely as a reactionary tactic. But it shouldn’t be.
You need to recognise the impact proactive planning can have on a smaller, more manageable level. We call this issues management, and its something that only comes with a wealth of crisis communications.
When you have an expert who’s been through crisis after crisis, they know the patterns and the triggers. They can see what others cannot: the root cause of a crisis and how to avoid it.
In practice, this could be anything from managing negative reviews, addressing product recalls, or navigating leadership changes. These are just a few examples of crisis management, which businesses can leverage for protection and recovery.
Avoiding a crisis entirely is always the preferred option. But sometimes, there are those unforeseen and unavoidable moments. Things that could never have been predicted. Whether it is in issues preparedness or full-blown crisis management, a PR expert can help you:
The best way to think about crisis preparedness is that you’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither is your brand.
Every business needs to play the long game when it comes to positioning, and public relations is a marathon, not a sprint.
It gradually builds your brand’s equity and positioning through consistent communication of your values, achievements, and unique perspective. This binding together of narratives doesn’t happen overnight. This is a cumulative effect.
It’s not about quick wins or overnight success stories but rather creating a sustained narrative that positions you as an innovative, reliable, and forward-thinking organisation.
Public relations isn’t just another item on your marketing checklist; it’s an investment in your business’s most critical asset: reputation.
It’s a strategic communication discipline that goes far beyond simple publicity.
Remember that PR is a broad church.
It’s no longer just about media relations, though that’s still part of what we do. Contemporary PR is now entwined with specialisms like content creation and production, SEO and the nascent GEO (now being called LLM SEO).
In short, the line between public relations and marketing continues to blur.
But while PR and marketing are often bucketed together, it’s important to recognise that while they can indeed be complementary, they are two very different disciplines.
PR is about building meaningful connections, telling compelling stories and creating lasting value that resonates with audiences long after they’ve forgotten your latest marketing campaign.
Standard benefits packages won’t cut it for Gen Z. Here’s how they’re raising the bar and what you can do to meet it in 3 easy ways.
The generation that won’t settle for more of the same. Gen Z is here and they’re changing the game.
Born between 1997 and 2012, they’ve grown up digital, purpose-driven, and ready to challenge how work works. By the end of 2025, they’ll make up a quarter of the global workforce
And here’s the thing: standard benefits packages aren’t cutting it anymore.
If you want to attract, engage, and retain Gen Z talent, you’ll need a benefits experience that feels as personal, digital, and values led as they are. So being part of the Bristol Creative’s network let’s explore how this generation is raising the bar for benefits and what you can do to meet it.
Firstly, digital Natives Expect Digital-First Benefits! Gen Z grew up with smartphones, social feeds, and instant everything. So, when they join your workforce, they expect the same seamless experience from your benefits. A company’s tech influences whether they want to work there. They expect business tools to be as intuitive as TikTok and as mobile-friendly as their banking apps. If your benefits platform feels clunky or old-school? You’ll lose them before they’ve even logged in.
Secondly, they care deeply about purpose. For Gen Z, work isn’t just a job. It’s a platform for impact. Often, purpose at work matters more than a pay cheque. If your benefits don’t reflect your social and environmental commitments, you’re missing a massive engagement driver.
Then there’s the whole avenue called “flexibility”. Gen Z doesn’t measure success by hours logged. They care about outcomes and flexibility of schedules. In addition, there’s flexibility with regards to personalised benefits which I have mentioned numerous times. Forget biscuit-cutter packages. Gen Z expects choice: mental health support (which is non-negotiable being essential not optional), help their sustainability goals/carbon footprint, help with student loan repayments, help with community impact…all good examples.
Why? Well, it’s not rocket science – lower turnover, higher engagement and it makes you stand out in the crowd as an employer.
Gen Z is raising the bar for what great benefits look like. If you’re still offering one-size-fits-all packages, you’re missing a huge opportunity to engage the workforce of tomorrow.
If nothing else just look at
Because if your benefits aren’t easy to access, easy to understand, and easy to love, they aren’t working hard enough.
As a creative professional, you know how much of your work depends on navigating ambiguity, harnessing inspiration, and staying productive under pressure.
But here’s the truth: before you can lead bold projects or creative teams, you must first learn to lead yourself.
At Fire & Light Coaching, I work with creative leaders, designers, strategists, founders, writers, and dreamers who thrive in ideas yet sometimes struggle with focus, clarity, or consistency. Especially if you’re neurodivergent or navigating ADHD (diagnosed or undiagnosed), this balance can feel elusive.
I know it because I’ve been there.
I believe in a strengths-first approach. We shift the focus from “fixing what’s wrong” to leveraging what already makes you unique and brilliant.
For me and many of my creative clients, ADHD or divergent thinking brings:
Boundless curiosity to explore new ideas and possibilities
Pattern recognition to connect unexpected dots
Energy and originality to push into new creative frontiers
And yes, there are challenges too:
Ideas come faster than execution
Focus can fragment under pressure
Others may struggle to keep up with your thinking
Stay the course on core goals
Make space for idea exploration without derailing the essentials
Build systems and rhythms to capture your creativity without feeling trapped by structure
Communicate clearly with collaborators, clients, or teams on what’s critical vs. experimental
Those wild sparks often become the gold.
They lead to innovations, bold creative moves, and connections no one else sees. The key is learning how to manage the balance.
Vision + Accountability
Curiosity + Clarity
That’s what creative coaching with me looks like.
I use coaching methodologies designed for ADHD and creative leadership, rooted in character strengths, practical neuroscience, and coaching psychology, to support you to lead with confidence and creativity.
This is about showing up fully with the talents you already have, while also building the tools to manage what can hold you back.
If you’re a creative professional ready to explore how coaching can help you balance vision with action, I’d love to partner with you.
Let’s unlock what’s already within you.
Book an initial discovery call today.
The last few years have drained employees, but employers can combat rising numbers of sick days with financial and wellbeing support
Recent research from Totaljobs revealed that sick days jumped by 41% over the past three years, presenting huge challenges for employers in terms of managing productivity, morale and employee retention. Employers surveyed in the research blamed the rise in the number of sick days that employees are having on a few major factors, but six in ten (59%) of HR leaders believed this is down to a deterioration of workplace culture and employee satisfaction.
It’s important to point out that it’s been an incredibly challenging few years for many people. They have come through a world-changing pandemic and walked straight into the cost-of-living crisis which is still being felt today. Many employees are financially, mentally and emotionally drained because of macro-economic events in recent years. This is likely to be driving the number of sick days being taken. In addition to impacting productivity, rising sick days also create new challenges which are eroding that much sought-after connection between colleagues. Less time together can prevent people from identifying as being part of a team, impacting morale and wellbeing.
It also increases pressure on employers to meet the differing demands of different demographics, and their differing attitudes and expectations towards their job, especially amidst tough economic conditions.
However, employers do have a secret weapon in combatting the rise in sick days. Employee benefits packages can provide the required financial and wellbeing support that many employees are calling for – this cost-effective approach can tackle challenges employers face around workforce morale, productivity and culture as well as support with talent attraction and retention.
There is so much work to be done with recent research revealing that half of businesses report that they have increased investment into their benefits package over the past year, however the minority of employees still believe that their current benefits package is inadequate, indicating that there is still work to be done.
In fact, benefits packages are growing in importance for employees as well as employers. I have shared again and again that most employers here in the south-west say that benefits packages are one of the very first things candidates are asking about in their interviews, and existing employee feedback is increasingly asking about their business’ benefits package.
How can employers ensure that the benefits on offer are fully supporting employees? For the modern employer, understanding the specific needs of their employees has never been more important, but with more people working remotely and multiple generations currently occupying the workforce, it’s much harder to know if these needs are being appropriately met. Worryingly, many employees think that the benefits on offer to them are completely irrelevant to their personal situation and with a multi- generation workforce the picture isn’t on the up.
Despite increased investment, this scenario perfectly illustrates that employers are still failing to truly understand the individual needs of their employees, and although they’re driving change, it’s currently at risk of heading in the wrong direction.
Keeping lines of discussion open between employer and employee is crucial to understanding what support that individual employee needs. Using data insights means employers can send targeted communications to their employees to ensure that the right benefits reach the right employee at the right time, boosting engagement.
Getting a benefits package right contributes to a more compelling employee proposition and offers improved value for money to employees and employers alike. Not only will it primarily improve support for all employees, making them happier, more productive and more engaged, it leads to reduced sick days, enhanced value for money, a better ROI for businesses, and can help to attract and retain some of the best talent in today’s workplace.
Imagine this. Instead of writing a traditional article like this one, we shorten our article to a series of headlines and project them onto a famous skyscraper. Outside an advertising awards show. We tease the event. And we invite you and influencers along to it. You take pictures and film parts of the show. You then post it on social media. We film the entire stunt. Afterwards, we edit the vid into different cut-downs for different channels. That my friends is a brand activation in practice.
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So what actually is the definition of a brand activation? ChatGPT defines it as a ‘marketing strategy designed to actively engage consumers with a brand, creating a memorable experience that drives awareness, interaction, and emotional connection’. It’s a decent definition for this recent advertising phenomenon. But for us, it’s an idea worth advertising. Something for your brand to shout about. And right now, activations are becoming more common. They’re taking full advantage of digital capabilities to propagate ideas online which in turn, amplifies brands organically for free. 30 years ago, a Tango ad on a Saturday night was talked about on a Monday morning in the school playground, or at the water-cooler. Today, it’s instant on Whatsapp, TikTok, Twitter and so on. And great activation ideas that live online, always have the possibility of getting shared time and time again.
Here are some of my favourite brand activations from recent times including an app concept for Toyota that was the no.1 downloaded app in the country it was made for.
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You read right. Sounds bonkers. But it was genius. True to their values, REI closed their doors on Black Friday. Instead of getting caught up in the chaos of the shopping day, they wanted their staff to #OptOutside, have a stress-free day off and enjoy the great outdoors. The feel-good news story was picked up by all the mainstream media outlets in the states, and the brand saw sales, brand warmth and employee retention increase off the back of this one activation.
Xbox wanted the world to know how tough their new Tomb Raider game was so they created an interactive billboard that played out like a live game show. Then they subjected the six people on the London billboard to the extreme weather conditions from the actual game. Fans streamed the show via Twitch, where they could even control the weather via their smartphone. Until only the grittiest contestant was left. The results were off the charts, from 450k+ views on Twitch, 2 million views on Facebook and 18 Cannes Lions.
How? By flipping disability around and creating ThisAbles. Ikea found 1 in 10 people in the world live with a disability. So they hacked their most iconic IKEA products by developing 13 open-source 3D printed add-ons, each solving a different accessibility issue. Besides the 5M$ worth of earned media from PR, 4,625 people downloaded the 3D models. One of the great brand activations, that intrinsically links to their vision and genuinely make people’s everyday, wonderful.
Education groups came together to launch Denmark’s Mental Health Day and create awareness about the increase of youth burnout. How? They crafted human sized candles and erected them all over the country to start a nationwide conversation. Each of the statues were made from wax that symbolised inaction leading to an entire generation burning out. They also targeted policy makers with small versions of the burnt-out youth, and produced a series of solutions to help address the growing issue.
The global sports brand discovered that 32% of women around the world feel uncomfortable swimming in public. In the Middle East, it jumps to a staggering 88%. So adidas created the world’s first swimmable billboard in Dubai, encouraging every woman in the city to dive in and become ambassadors for its new inclusive swimwear collection, regardless of their shape, ethnicity or ability. It sparked a global conversation across 60 countries about making swimming more inclusive as a sport for women.
Put your phone down while you drive and pick up rewards. That was the simple award-winning idea for Toyota in Ireland.
The app topped the Irish app charts, received national TV, radio and press coverage worth nearly £350k. But above all Irish people drove over 13 million miles with their phones faced down. And Toyota showed how “built for a better world” made a real tangible difference in people’s lives.
People think they know what ‘suicidal’ looks like: crying, anger, despair. In the absence of these signs, nobody intervenes. With 125 people taking their own lives each week, long-term partners Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and ITV, the UK’s largest commercial TV station, urgently needed to highlight the fact that ‘suicidal’ doesn’t always manifest the way people expect. So on the happiest day of the year, they created The Last Photo, a hard-hitting campaign that started a vital national conversation and empowered the UK to help prevent suicide.
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The next time you brief your creative agency, think about what it is you’re really looking for. If it’s brand awareness, perception, resonance and share of voice, give your agency the license to think bigger. Creativity shouldn’t be squeezed into conventional media formats – let your brand break free and break the mould. That’s what garners coverage, reach and long-term legacy.
It’s where experiential meets content meets stunts meets brand amplification. And in today’s world, that means more bang for your budget. Just remember, the best activation ideas can be summed up in an attention-grabbing headline. If you nail that and get excited about making it happen, who knows? Your brand activation could be talked about for years to come. Building long-term brand awareness and advocacy, that’s some return on investment.
Drop us a line at https://saintnicks.uk.com/contact-us/ and let’s chat about how we can use brand activations to take your brand further.
In a time where hybrid or fully remote working is becoming increasingly more common, it is really important to be able to make the most of your work environment. Sitting at your desk all day may seem like the best way to complete all of your tasks for the day, but there is only so long a human can focus before productivity begins to take a nose-dive. There are lots of small, easy changes you can make to your working day in order to ensure you are as motivated and productive as you can be, whilst still looking after your wellbeing. Here are our 5 favourite tips for increasing productivity at your desk!
Sounds counter-intuitive doesn’t it? Well, plenty of studies have shown that taking regular breaks away from your desk increase your productivity when you are back at your desk. Give your mind a break from your workload by taking a walk, grabbing a coffee or just getting some fresh air, which is proven to massively increase focus.
It is really important to stay hydrated, both in and out of the office. Increased water consumption improves energy levels and the quality of your sleep, both of which will have an impact on the quality and speed at which you complete your work. Whilst a cup of tea or coffee will aid rehydration, it is a good idea to keep a bottle of water at your desk so that you can drink throughout the day.
Think about what motivates or inspires you, without distracting you. Studies have shown that having pictures of loved ones, plants or other small personal belongings provide a quick mood boost and can increase focus. Ensuring your desk space is personalised to you but not cluttered is a good way to make the workday run a little smoother. Staying on top of organisation and storage also reduces the time you’ll spend hunting for that file or favourite pen, which can lead to further distractions!
If your to-do list is seemingly never-ending, it’s easy to feel demotivated and like you aren’t actually achieving anything. Breaking down big jobs in to smaller, more manageable tasks creates an easy plan to follow, as well as a huge feeling of accomplishment when you complete everything on your list for that day. Setting yourself smaller goals for the day mean you don’t feel overwhelmed, and you might find yourself surpassing your targets, which will further add to your sense of achievement.
So you’ve tried everything, been for a walk, had some water, looked at your office plants, but your workload still seems to be increasing and you can’t seem to get going? Talk to your co-workers, or the other people in your office, whether it’s on zoom, email, or face to face, the chances are that if you are experiencing a dip in productivity, they may be able to help. Either by reminding you of what the end goal is for your task or project, or by helping you manage some of your workload, the people around you are all part of your support network, and being able to engage with and offer assistance to your colleagues can have a feel-good effect on you as well.
For more great tips or resources that help increase productivity in the workplace, we like SnackNation’s blog: 34 Ways To Be More Productive At Work
It’s the question every Business and HR leader asks. You’ve rolled out new benefits, negotiated better coverage, even launched a whole new platform. But after all the internal comms, budget cycles, and supplier meetings, how do you know it’s working?
If your first instinct is to reach for usage stats or participation rates, you’re not alone. But true success in benefits design isn’t only measured in dashboards. It shows up in how people feel, how they work, and how they talk about your company when no one’s watching.
Here’s what measuring success really looks like.
The most successful benefits programmes don’t just boost uptake; they boost morale. When employees feel genuinely supported and valued, that sense of security and appreciation spills into how they show up at work, and how they talk about your business when they’re not at work.
You see it in how confidently people recommend your company to others. You feel it in team energy, reduced attrition, and stronger engagement. In fact, plenty of research shows that benefits are one of the biggest drivers of overall job satisfaction, right behind pay.
Happiness at work is about creating an environment where people feel like their wellbeing is genuinely supported, and where they can bring their full lives not just their job titles to the table.
A one-size-fits-all approach might be simple to manage, but it rarely delivers what today’s employees need. This is especially true for organisations managing larger workforces with varied cultural norms, regulatory frameworks, and expectations.
Successful programmes prioritise real flexibility: custom allowances, region-specific design, and meaningful choices that reflect employees’ personal lives and priorities. It’s not about offering everything, but about curating something thoughtful and responsive, and allowing space for people to make it their own.
The most meaningful benefits are the ones people remember for life, not the ones they click on most.
Last week I wrote an example about how people remember getting access to fertility support that led to a baby, receiving healthcare when they needed it most, or being able to visit family because of an annual leave purchase scheme. This stuff is harder to put a number on, but infinitely more impactful.
None of these outcomes show up neatly in a usage report. But their impact? It’s enormous. Not just for the person involved, but for everyone who sees that story unfold, and quietly logs it as a reason to stay.
Storytelling isn’t fluffy. It’s one of the most powerful ways to measure emotional ROI and increasingly, it’s what leadership teams care about. If any business leader can explain the value of their benefits programme through stories, not just numbers, they’re doing something right.
Companies are investing huge amounts into employee benefits, but many struggle with low awareness and poor utilisation. This isn’t always a design problem it’s often a communication problem.
If your employees can’t name even three benefits they have access to, that’s not on them. A successful programme is one that people remember. One that shows up in their lives in relevant, timely ways. One they can talk about without needing to consult a portal or policy document.
The bottom line? Focus on impact over optics
A successful benefits strategy isn’t about chasing 80% participation rates or offering the longest list of perks. It’s about building something that matters. That makes people feel supported, empowered, and proud to work for you.
That might look like:
And stories that connect the dots between policy and real life!
Here’s how forward-thinking companies are stretching their employee benefits budget while delivering high-impact employee experiences.
In today’s economic climate, business and HR leaders are under more pressure than ever to do more with less. But making your employee benefits budget go further isn’t just about cost-cutting, it’s about spending smarter. The key? Reimagine you’re spending to create effective benefits for your team.
Here’s how leading organisations are stretching their employee benefits budget while delivering high-impact employee experiences.
One of the biggest misconceptions in benefits design is that higher spend automatically means better strategy. But great benefits aren’t defined by price tags. They’re defined by relevance, accessibility, and alignment with what your people need.
Too often, businesses pour money into legacy schemes or overlapping policies with low visibility and poor utilisation. Instead, a smart approach focuses on realigning spend to improve impact.
Start by asking:
Prevention is better than cure, and cheaper too. Many employers still spend disproportionately on reactive benefits (like medical insurance) over proactive ones (like wellness, mental health and preventative care).
That’s a missed opportunity. Proactive benefits reduce downstream costs, from insurance premiums to sick days. And many of them come baked into existing products, such as virtual GP access or gym discounts. These extras are often buried in fine print. If they’re not visible to employees, they’re not really benefits.
There’s often untapped value sitting in your current scheme. From EAPs to death-in-service benefits, many include ancillary offerings that never get used simply because they aren’t visible.
Audit what you’re already paying for and ask:
Bringing these hidden benefits to the surface can increase perceived value and boost engagement without increasing spend
If you’re in the UK, you have access to powerful tools that can generate budget through tax efficiencies. Benefits like workplace nursery, cycle-to-work, EV leasing, and annual leave purchase can be offered through salary sacrifice, reducing employer NIC contributions.
Those savings can be reinvested elsewhere. For example, one employer used their savings from annual leave trading to fund fertility support and wellbeing allowances all without adding to their overall benefits budget.
You don’t need to spend more to do better. Many businesses can reallocate 20-30% of their current benefits budget by identifying low-impact coverage and redesigning based on what employees’ value.
Consider:
Designing with flexibility opens space to offer more relevant and personalised benefits without increasing cost.
Modern employees expect choice. And personalisation is no longer a luxury, it’s table stakes. Flexible benefits platforms let employers offer a wide range of voluntary benefits, allowances and salary sacrifice options with minimal admin. You can even offer flexibility within existing benefits by allowing employees to adjust their coverage levels or add dependents at their own cost.
A benefit employees don’t know about isn’t really a benefit. Awareness drives engagement, and engagement drives value.
Yet many benefits teams launch new schemes with a single email and hope for the best. Instead:
If you’re not investing in communication, you’re leaving ROI on the table.
Utilisation alone is not the measure of success. Some benefits, like fertility support, menopause care or neurodivergent coaching, will only ever impact a small portion of your workforce. But when they do, they change lives.
When your finance team asks, “Why are we paying for this?” be ready with the answer: because retention, wellbeing, and employee trust aren’t built on averages. They’re built on moments that matter.
Getting more from your employee benefits budget isn’t about trimming. It’s about redesigning with purpose. When you:
…you’ll be amazed at what’s possible!
Business Leaders & HR are under a lot of pressure here in the South-West. Employer NI increases are now with us, limited budgets, and rising expectations from talent. So, when you’re building out a benefits package, it’s natural to prioritise the ones that tick the “most people, most of the time” box. But if you want your benefits strategy to build loyalty, protect productivity, and future-proof your workforce, you must think differently. In my experience, utilisation isn’t always the right way to measure the success of a benefit. Some benefits might only impact a handful of people, but for those people, it can mean everything. If we’re serious about inclusive benefits, we must meet people where they are, even if that need isn’t common.
Because some of the highest-impact benefits are the ones your employees won’t use often. They’re the ones that quietly sit in the background until someone has a real need and suddenly, that benefit becomes the reason they stay, not leave. What do I mean by that? Here’s some examples of what that looks like in practice.
For example, Fertility & Reproductive Health Benefits. Offering fertility support (Egg freezing, IVF, donor support, surrogacy navigation) can feel and sound like a niche benefit. Most employees won’t use it. So why invest?
Because the absence of support comes with hidden costs. Research tells us that 1 in 7 UK couples experience fertility issues. IVF takes a physical and emotional toll: constant appointments, hormonal treatments, failed cycles…all while employees try to show up at work. Many reduce hours, take sick days, or even quietly leave during treatment. Others are forced to spend tens of thousands privately, causing financial and emotional stress. This disproportionately affects women in their 30s and 40s. But it doesn’t stop there: LGBTQ+ employees face unique financial and medical hurdles to build families. Without support, they’re more likely to churn or disengage. Offering benefits here isn’t just about doing the right thing; it’s about retaining high-value talent at a moment when they have big life choices to make. And for every employee who doesn’t use it? They see the offer. They see what kind of employer you are.
Keeping on the similar theme, another example is keeping Workplace Nursery Schemes. Childcare is the *1 reason working parents (especially mothers) scale back or leave the workforce. It’s not anecdotal. It’s backed by data across every sector. Workplace nursery salary sacrifice schemes reduce the cost of registered childcare by allowing payments from gross salary. This can mean thousands saved per year. And not from your HR budget, but via tax-efficient mechanisms. It’s one of the most financially meaningful benefits you can offer parents, yet uptake remains low in most organisations. Why? Because many employers don’t make the most of communicating it. Offering this benefit (and making it visible) removes one of the biggest logistical and emotional barriers to returning after parental leave. And it doesn’t just keep people in their jobs; it helps them re-engage faster, with fewer compromises and more long-term commitment.
Finally, another example are Income protection and Critical Illness benefits. When an employee becomes seriously ill or injured, it’s not just a health crisis, it’s a life interruption. Suddenly, work becomes impossible. And without structured support, income often disappears just when stability is needed most. Income protection fills that gap. It ensures an employee continues to receive a portion of their salary while they recover, allowing them to focus on getting better, not on whether they can pay their mortgage. And that continuity materially improves the odds of a full, confident return to work.
For Business Leaders and HR, this is where lower-utilisation benefits prove their worth. Income protection shortens recovery time, reduces presenteeism, and increases the likelihood that skilled, experienced employees don’t exit permanently. And when other team members see that their employer has their back, even in worst-case scenarios, it builds a level of trust that policies alone can’t buy.
All the above examples do not scale…and that’s the point!
Low-utilisation benefits aren’t supposed to serve everyone, every day. They’re designed to catch people in their most vulnerable, high-stakes moments. That trust is a lever for everything you care about retention, engagement, productivity, culture.
Business Leaders and HR often get told to “think creatively & strategically.” (This is the Bristol Creative’s Community, right?) Here’s the truth: empathy is strategic. Investing in benefits that show foresight, nuance and care is how you build a workforce that stays, grows and delivers. Because when your employees are most in need, they won’t care about your summer social. They’ll care about whether you were there when it counted.
And if you were? They won’t forget it.
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