You have been tasked by the Head of Human Resources at CA to create a revised benefits strategy that considers the different needs of employees at their lifecycle stages and moves away from the 'one size fits all' model. fit all

Please refer to the documents below and answer the following question - What are the overarching goals of the welfare strategy?

Performance and reward at Chicken Auditors

Overview of the organisation and current context

Chicken Auditors (CA) is a UK public sector organisation. It is their job to use expertise and influence so that people can trust that what they consume is safe, is what it says it is, and is also healthier/more sustainable. CA employ 1147 people. They employ people across a range of locations including Birmingham, Belfast, Cardiff, and London with also a large proportion of colleagues who also work from home. CA dont just regulate how the food on your plate is produced through the supply chain, they are also there to represent industry and ensure where compliance isnt being met the appropriate agencies are brought in. Roles include lawyers, auditors, analysts, administrative and field colleagues who work across every Abattoir in Wales, England and Northern Island.

As with many organisations, CA is still managing changes to working patterns following the pandemic, colleagues are looking for increased flexibility which can be offered to those who work in an office-based role. Those who are based within abattoirs are required to be present in alignment with their rota every day of the year, including Christmas Day! It has recently been noticed that there is better performance coming from those in office-based roles compared to those who work in the abattoir: some have suggested that the colleagues in the abattoir have felt like the pandemic left them feeling disrespected and that they are now being managed based on the number of carcases that they check each shift, a measure which more experienced individuals disagree with.

With the pandemic out of the way, CA are now facing a new challenge in common with many, the cost-of-living crisis. This has meant CA have had to review whether future projects can go ahead and have also communicated that pay increases year on year cannot be promised at the level that they have been over the past 7 years. This has left colleagues with experience questioning their value and whether they are better off exploring new career opportunities. Recruitment has been frozen, colleagues who are leaving are not being replaced. There is also uncertainty about what is going to happen in respect of recruitment of people from outside the UK following BREXIT and potential changes to policy.

Performance management

Currently, performance management is devolved to the line manager to ensure they have regular check-ins with their direct reports every 7-8 weeks. During this meeting the manager and colleague will discuss what is going well, what is not working so well, and what can be improved on. A rating will be given to do with performance, and it will be placed into a form. The 2 most senior grades are required to complete a 9-box gird rating. The new HR and Finance Director at CA has recently undertaken a review of how performance is measured and concluded that outcomes are not consistently measured. Issues that the director has identified include:

Colleagues do not understand where they fit into the organisation

The board do not get a consistent vision of whats going well internally and the external risks

There is confusion surrounding the priorities

Internal KPIs are not being consistently measured with different directors perceiving different expectations as meaning different things

Senior leaders do not see where they fit into the performance management framework

Changes in terms and frames for what is important/measured, e.g. absence in one quarter, and then well-being in the next quarter

Due to this, a thorough review of what is measured, and how, has been requested.

Reward management

CA is moving to a recognition pot with enhanced employee choice as to what the funds in the pot can be spent on, for example Halfords and groceries vouchers, virgin wine and experiences, discounts for a new economical boiler, and even the opportunity to use vouchers at ASOS.

There has been an effort to try to respond very practically to changes, for example, in response to an increase in absence (which has been attributed to lower immunity post-lock downs), CA has provided all employees with the opportunity to have a flu jab, at a cost of 14 per employee. Take up has, however, been very low, just 30% of employees. This has left HR questioning how best to promote benefits such as this so that take up increases.

CA is also providing cakes and thank you cards to recognise employees efforts and enhance engagement at a relatively low cost to the organisation, there is a plan to implement sanitary products to all toilets across the estate for those who requires them, including colleagues who are part of the field workforce.

Looking ahead, CA needs to evaluate the effectiveness of its reward provision.

Information from the CIPD 2022 survey on health and wellbeing to help with benchmarking

Perkbox: 20 wellbeing initiatives

CIPD resources including the provider, Simplyhealth

Competitor wellbeing for benchmarking: working for the ONS (RJ's last employer!)