We had digital TV in the 2000s, Smart-TV in the 2010s. For 2030 we will have AI-TV.
RedSquid team members drove the worlds Smart-TV evolution. Now the same people are leading AI TV revolution!
We are engineers. We understand TV electronics, Silicon Chips and software.
We are looking for partners who understand and create content and advertising. Especially companies who do product placement promotion inside movies.
If this sounds like your company then please email us on [email protected]
We’ve all had it- that awful unexploded bomb of an email from a client sat in your inbox. So what do you do next? This article will walk you through my tried-and-tested process for handling a difficult communication, so you’ll be able to head into any negotiation feeling prepared.
It is so tempting, in those first moments, to fire back with a few home truths, or alternatively to loathe the idea of conflict so much that you grit your teeth and give in to their unreasonable demands. Instead of doing either of those things, remember this:
You only win if you get what you want.
A trite phrase, but memorable, which is why it’s important here- in these early moments, your body is physically reacting to a stressful situation, and you may not be at your calmest, most rational best. So having a ridiculous catchphrase to use as your compass is actually quite useful. Remember it and let it pull you back to your objective- achieving success in your negotiation.
The point is to focus on the OUTCOME. Negotiations are a multi-step process (even if they’re just a couple of emails) and from this moment, everything you say and do should be geared towards delivering the outcome that is best for you and your business. If you need to get something off your chest, scream in frustration, that’s fine- but do that separately, and out of your client’s hearing. For now, focus on identifying what outcome you’re after, and working through the steps necessary to achieve that.
Before sitting down to draft a response, it is essential to do some information-gathering and analysis. Here are the steps to walk through, in this order, to equip you with the information you need to decide on a strategy for your reply.
Do some digging and consider the following:
– If you have a contract, what do the terms say?
– Where do things stand in terms of finances/invoicing? How much money do they owe you?
– Where are you with deliverables- what has been done, what has been handed over, what is left to do? How does that line up with your contractual commitments?
– Are there wider relationship/ business issues to consider? Is this client particularly influential, or linked to other clients of yours?
– What is the potential impact, on you, of what they are asking of you?
The list above is just a suggestion, as every situation will need its own consideration, but broadly speaking you want to assess your EXPOSURE to this client, whether financial, reputational, legal etc, and other hand, any LEVERAGE you may have. Assets you’ve not yet handed over that they need, knowledge you hold that’s not easily replicable, etc.
The purpose of this is to look clearly at what the possible consequences could be of whichever path you choose. Your next steps are focused on minimising your exposure and putting any leverage you have to the best possible use.
– Work out your best-case scenario, and your absolute hard line
– Think about your time, any resources needed to do whatever they’re asking
– The impact on your mental health
– The opportunity cost of your time- what else could you be doing
– Intangible benefits you might want- credit/exposure/introductions/portfolio building, etc
This is not about what they’ve said, or asked for, but what they actually value. Use all the information you know about them and their circumstances to work out what is motivating them. What pressures are they facing, from their own clients/within their organisation? Consider the following:
– are they under time pressure
– what are their deliverables
– do they need to prove they’ve negotiated the price as low as it can go (i.e. is a request for a discount actually to enable them to demonstrate, either to themselves or their seniors, that they’ve got the best price)
– is there an ego element (hint: yes. Always.)
Using the information you’ve gathered above, and maintaining your laser-focus on your desired outcome, map out your response. The most important thing to consider here is:
“What action do you want them to take?”
And then make it EASY.
Want them to consider a couple of options and pick one? Set them out and sign off with “please reply and let me know if you’d prefer A or B”. Want them to pay an invoice before you continue your work? Attach it, or include a link to pay. Never want to hear from them again? Make sure you don’t ask them any questions, or leave any loose ends they’d need to follow up. If you are asking them for more information, be sure that you genuinely do want that information and are prepared to engage with whatever they send back. If the information won’t make you change your response, don’t ask for it.
Also remember: you don’t need to respond to every point they made in their email. Unless it needs to be addressed or dealt with, you can just leave it- and focus on the action you want them to take, to achieve the outcome you’re after.
Here are five key points to consider:
You may not feel like pandering to their ego, but a bit of tactical empathy is incredibly effective. Re-framing their concerns or acknowledging their point of view enables them to stop trying to get their point across and be more open to what you are saying. Even when you are delivering unmitigated bad news, a small demonstration of empathy can significantly soften the delivery. For example, “I have some news to share that may be tough to hear, but I wanted to get in touch as soon as I could to give you as much time as possible to digest the impact…”
Whatever your proposed next steps are, put your correspondent at the heart of them. What will they receive? How will they be impacted? For example, and building on the tactical empathy in the previous point, “I absolutely understand where you’re coming from on budget constraints, and being mindful of that, I am able to offer [add detail of what they will receive for that price].”
Don’t feel that you need to give a reason for your position- if you can frame a polite ‘no’, that’s great. But if you DO feel like giving an explanation, choose the single most unassailable reason, and stick with it. When you are in conflict with someone, the more reasons you give, the weaker your argument looks- you are only as strong as your weakest argument. You’ll also be giving them more ways to try and pick holes in what you’re saying.
Ignore what your English teacher told you about using the passive voice. Say “I’m afraid it’s not possible to…” instead of “I refuse to…”. It just softens things and also can make the decision making process seem more removed, and less able to be challenged.
People HATE an awkward silence. They will rush to fill it, often saying ill-advised things that cut across their previously carefully-delivered position. If you can, and if it’s appropriate, hold your nerve and don’t reply right away. This will firstly give you a chance to calm down and go through the preparation steps outlined above, but it will also show your counterparty that you are not replying in haste with a cobbled-together response. Rather, you are calm and collected, and confident in your reply. You may find that by waiting just 24 hours to reply to an incendiary email, the other party (who was expecting you to blow up and reply straight away) is unnerved enough to email again, undermining their previous position. Even if that doesn’t happen, a bit of waiting time can put them off their combative stride.
The only caveat to this is if something very urgent has happened, but you need a bit of time to work out what to do- in this case, a quick holding email, something like “just a note to let you know we have seen this and are working on it, I will come back to you shortly” will buy you some breathing space to consider before they start chasing you and causing you further stress.
After all this, I sincerely hope you’ve achieved your desired outcome, or gotten closer to it. Regardless of what’s happened, though, please remember that this kind of interaction takes a lot out of you, mentally and emotionally. You may be left feeling that your counterparty has not understood how bad their behaviour was, or you’ve had to empathise with someone who has treated you badly. Take time to process and reflect, and care for yourself afterwards.
And if you’ve found this helpful, or would like to chat about strategy, negotiation, or anything else, please do get in touch!
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.
A couple of weeks back was Earth Day, and the 2025 theme is Our Power, Our Planet. This year, the Earth Day movement is uniting the globe around renewable energy to help us achieve ‘triple clean energy’ by 2030. Sustainability is at the heart of Bristol Creatives and as a community we should constantly strive to innovate and provide eco-friendly employee benefits.
But where do you start? Well, here’s a few pointers to embed sustainable and eco-friendly employee benefits into your business.
With CSR strategies becoming a must-have, companies are coming forward en masse to share their green credentials, giving birth to the term “Greenwashing”, where organisations talk the talk but don’t walk the walk when it comes to employee wellbeing practices. The same is true with greenwashing, but the scrutiny is even higher. If you make a claim about your environmental commitments, you must have the data to back it up. Without the data, it’s simply talk, and you’re at risk of being seen by your clients, consumers, and partners as greenwashing.
Clients and employees increasingly seek businesses that do good environmentally and socially, but they will also want to see the proof. Being branded a greenwasher will harm your reputation among employees, clients and partners, and you could find yourself in court.
So, how do you get CSR right? What are eco-friendly business practices?
There’s a long list of ways you can embed sustainability into your business through eco-friendly benefits and ways of working. Employees want to work for a business that authentically demonstrates ethical behaviours, and they’re scrutinising your corporate social responsibility policy alongside your Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Conscious quitting is a growing trend among socially conscious employees seeking equally socially conscious employers who contribute to the communities and environment in which they exist. By 2025, Millennials will make up nearly three quarters of the global workforce, and they’re looking for socially responsible employers.
Climate anxiety is real, especially among the younger generations, and these are the people who will make up the future workforce. Research tells us that young people don’t think the government is doing enough to avoid a climate crisis and expect their employers to act responsibly.
How can business’s embrace sustainable business practices through eco-friendly employee benefits. How about helping employee’s retro fit their homes…double bonus of improved financial wellbeing with energy bill savings and improvements in sustainability?
You can’t discuss eco-friendly employee benefits without stepping into the world of green car and cycle to work schemes. Both encourage greener ways of commuting to work, whether by an electric vehicle or bike and bring tax and NIC savings to employers and employees. Greener commuting and money back in your pocket! The more employees who take up a salary sacrifice scheme within your business, the more you’ll save on National Insurance Contributions. Cycling promotes physical wellbeing, and healthy people have less sickness absence = another saving to your outgoings. Your employees’ finances also benefit from a reduction in the taxable element of their payslips.
Cycling may not be feasible for those travelling long distances, but with your support, they can still make their commute greener. Offer your employees a salary sacrifice car scheme to create tax savings and make low-emission travel more affordable.
How about considering CSR Partnerships? Embedding paid volunteering opportunities into your strategy boosts morale, social value, and engagement. There are clear benefits to the business, such as being more attractive to potential partners and customers, but it isn’t without cost. Whenever you pay for a person to be out of the business, you’re funding time that’s essentially non-productive from a business output perspective.
Still, most employees think their employers should incorporate paid volunteering days as an employee benefit, claiming it allows them to learn new skills they can bring back to the business. There are employee benefit providers that allow employee to access even more volunteering opportunities within their local communities and is proving incredibly popular – a definite morale booster!
Post COVID flexibility in contracts is becoming the norm, which is excellent because they’re in demand. There are also measurable business benefits, such as a high increase in productivity. Offering flexible, hybrid, and remote contracts helps talent acquisition and retention, with two thirds of job seekers claiming they’d reject a role that didn’t offer flexibility. The more flexible you are as an employer, the more you support your employees in finding a healthy work-life balance, which will increase employee engagement levels.
From a sustainable business practices perspective, there are additional benefits to having a hybrid workforce including lower fuel and energy usage within the office and fewer employees driving to the office means lower emissions that you can chart against your climate or social value pledge.
Wellbeing matters and is THE core key feature within any employee benefits package.
Wellbeing (noun) Definition: A good or satisfactory condition of existence; a state characterised by health, happiness, and prosperity.
We know that employee happiness and wellbeing are directly linked to the benefits they receive. Employees who feel valued and happy at work are more productive and effective in their roles. Additionally, organisations that provide appropriate benefits to support employee wellbeing are more likely to foster engaged and high-performing teams.
In today’s fast-paced, competitive corporate world, prioritising employee wellbeing is no longer a perk, but a necessity.
But why does employee wellbeing matter?
Employee wellbeing goes beyond physical health, it also includes mental, emotional, and financial wellness. Employers who invest in the wellbeing of their workforce not only meet their Duty of Care obligations but also create a positive workplace culture. This results in higher retention levels and enhanced productivity.
According to latest research, 82% businesses have seen their employees demanding more wellbeing benefits, with 56% of employees saying that they would leave their job if another company offered them a better benefits package. In addition, it’s widely recognised the need for benefits packages to address unprecedented employee stress levels causing burnout, decreased engagement, and higher absenteeism, highlighting how great wellbeing and benefits are not just good for employees; they are good for business.
Tangible benefits, especially those with high (perceived) value, can significantly boost employee morale and fulfilment. There is a lot of noise now for electric vehicles supplied as an employee benefit. A brand-new car, for example, is more than just a mode of transport, it’s a symbol of appreciation, recognition and support from an employer. Car benefit schemes not only signify support and recognition to employees, elevating job satisfaction and motivation but they also host several other perks that boost workplace wellbeing and engagement levels. One benefit of the scheme to employee wellbeing is financial peace of mind. Employees don’t need to worry about car loans, credit checks or deposits. A fixed monthly reduction from their salary covers it all- insurance, tyres, VED, servicing, and even breakdown cover.
Sustainable benefits have become vital to the wellbeing of a large proportion of employees in recent years, particularly Gen Z and Millennials. Offering environmentally conscious benefits, like EV schemes, helps promote a sustainable culture that aligns with employee’s values. As an added benefit, it also supports corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals.
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!
Following a competitive pitch, SIM7 has been selected by the British Council as a key agency on its framework to supply services over the coming years.
SIM7 will work in partnership with the British Council’s international marketing teams, creating strategic messaging, copywriting and content to drive the organisation’s global initiatives.
This work will involve developing digital and OOH campaigns, creating assets across all channels, and supporting the British Council’s extensive international outreach.
SIM7 will join a handful of leading UK agencies selected to support the British Council’s strategic goals.
About the British Council
The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. Operating in over 100 countries worldwide, the British Council builds connections, understanding, and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education, and the English language, reaching millions of people annually.
Says SIM7’s Simeon de la Torre, “As an agency with extensive international experience, this is a perfect partnership for us. We’re excited about working on some of the most significant cultural and educational initiatives globally, and empowering the British Council by delivering the effective messaging that we’re known for.
“Our capabilities closely align with the British Council’s mission to promote and uphold the English language worldwide. Our expertise will enhance the British Council’s efforts to make English accessible to learners across diverse cultures and backgrounds. Through innovative campaign strategies and engaging content, we’ll support the British Council’s role as a global leader in English language teaching and assessment.
“We’re looking forward to connecting with the international communities that the British Council fosters and supports.”
“The British Council is one of the best names in the industry for cultural exchange and educational opportunity, and the SIM7 team are all keen to help them deliver their mission of building connections between the UK and the rest of the world.”
SIM7 is an award-winning creative agency that uses language to empower design. We drive growth by creating brands, campaigns and strategy – for marketing teams around the world. Our experience in international education extends to universities, leadership organisations, business schools and more. For more information, contact Simeon de la Torre [email protected]
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