Advantica moves flexible benefits online with thomsons online benefits

Advantica is a global engineering consultancy, service and solution provider, supporting clients in the gas, oil, water and electric industries, with over 600 employees worldwide.

Advantica, which is part of the National Grid, had offered its employees a flexible benefits scheme called “Advantages” for four years and were running both the enrolment and ongoing administration manually.

At the end of 2005 Advantica took the decision to move Advantages online for several reasons. Firstly they wanted to breathe new life into Advantages and make it more exciting. Secondly they wanted to remove the administrative burden of running the scheme on a manual basis.

Karl Brummer, HR Director of Advantica comments: “We had been running Advantages for a few years and whilst we were getting a high take up rate amongst employees, most employees were flexing their holiday entitlement. We wanted to make all the other flexible benefits on offer equally appealing, and add tax efficient options such as the cycle to work scheme and childcare vouchers.” 

“In addition we wanted to ensure that employees appreciated the value of their entire reward package through total reward statements.”

At the end of 2005 Advantica ran a tender process to select a provider to help them move Advantages online, and selected thomsons online benefits. thomsons online benefits then worked with Advantica to move the scheme online under very tight timescales of one month to launch in time for the March flex window.

The launch of the new Advantages scheme was communicated to employees via:

• An email campaign before launch and during flex window; 
• Individual credit cards with the new website address and helpline details; 
• An information pack sent to their home address.

Flexible benefits made available to employees through Advantages include:

• Buying and selling holiday; 
• Childcare vouchers; 
• Critical illness cover;
• Cycle to work scheme; 
• Dental insurance;
• Income replacement cover;
• Travel insurance.

Advantica also promoted their other core benefits online including:

• SIP (National Grid Share Incentive Scheme);
• Share Save Scheme;
• Personal Accident Insurance;
• Sports and Social Club;
• Employee Assistance Programme;
• Pension Scheme;
• On-site Fitness Centre;
• On-site Restaurant.

About thomsons online benefits

thomsons online benefits was founded in 2000 to revolutionise the way that benefits are administered and communicated. They have won awards for both their consultancy and technology skills including: "Communication Provider of the Year" in the Employee Rewards & Benefits Awards 2006, "Corporate Adviser of the Year" in the Money Marketing Financial Services Awards 2004, 2005 and 2006, "Most Effective Use of an International Benefits Strategy" in the Employee Benefits Awards 2004 & 2006, "Flexible Benefits Solutions Provider" in the Pensions Management awards 2006, "Advanced Supply Chain Integration" National Innovation category, & "E-business" for London region in the DTI Ecommerce Awards 2004. thomsons online benefits is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Further information can be found at www.thomsonsonlinebenefits.com

For more information contact:
Caroline O'Keeffe
Tel: 020 7802 5855
Email: press@t-bx.com