At a time when many companies are looking to reduce employment costs, one local housing association is leading the way when it comes to taking care of its employees.  Shepherds Bush Housing Group (SBHG), based in London has just signed its 180 strong workforce to HSA's WorkWell scheme, demonstrating that investing in your employees now could be an investment for the future.

David Blackburn, HR Director at SBHG, explains: "Over a year ago we only had one main employee benefit which was a £15 monthly luncheon voucher for every employee. My team and I felt that we could use this pot of money to greater effect, so set about looking at ways to build a more comprehensive employee benefits package. After undertaking a number of informal staff polls we discovered that our people were interested in receiving some form of health insurance.  We also felt it was important to offer an element of flexibility, in order to provide a benefits package that our people would use and therefore value.

"We researched a number of big name health providers, and HSA came out as our winner. Not only was HSA the most cost effective, but by choosing WorkWell we were able to pay the base level for all staff, whilst giving them the flexibility to either upgrade or select another flexible benefit such as the subsidised car club membership.  Plus with an Employee Assistance Programme and optical benefit, choosing WorkWell 1 meant that we no longer needed to have these serviced by separate providers which provided additional savings. Finally, HSA is a great advocate of maintaining health and wellbeing, with a focus on prevention which is something we believe in wholeheartedly.

"Our long-term strategy at SBHG is to have a 'Total Reward package' in place by 2010, and HSA is one of our steps to achieving this. The current economic climate has not changed our attitude in the slightest to employee wellbeing. A typical response to a downturn is to cut down on staff, benefits and training and ride out the storm.  However, if an organisation chooses to do this, they may find that when the storm calms, which it inevitably will, all your good staff go. If you continue to invest in your people, make them feel valued and cherished then you will have engaged employees, and benefits are a key motivating tool in achieving this."

For further information on HSA Healthplans, just ring a member of our corporate team on 0800 072 6717, or complete this form.