Top 5 benefits for the summer

Hey June, you let us down!

Ok, so we didn’t get the lyrics to the Beatles’ 1968 hit quite right, but it’s how we’re all feeling, right?

Despite all of our hopes and expectations, the summer really has failed to launch so far. We’ll go as far as saying it’s been wetter than an otter’s pocket.

‘Here comes the sun’ feels like a song we can only dream of singing. So, as we all wait patiently for the warmer weather to stick around for more than a couple of days, it’s time to focus on the latest in our ‘Top 5 series’.

‘With a little help from our friends’, our benefits experts have ‘Come together’ to provide you with the best employee benefits for the summer months.

So don’t just ‘Let it be’, read until ‘The end’ and find out how you can ‘benefit’.

Top 5 employee benefits for the summer months

Burn calories, not cash!

Saving money and staying fit is the perfect combination to some employees.

For employers, Cycle to Work can increase productivity and improve your carbon footprint. For society, it means lower congestion, and better air quality. A cost-effective way to save your employees up to 42% through salary sacrifice contributions, your employer Cycle to Work scheme can leave other transport methods trailing behind.

And as we continue to battle through a cost of living crisis, commuters are looking to chop and change their routine to try and put a few extra quid in their pocket.

According to Mobility Ways – the Commuter Census 2022© reported that the average five-day car commute equates to £1,610 a year in fuel alone. So why not offer an alternative to the standard journey to work? An off-road adventure, or a quiet country lane perhaps. Add that to the savings your company bike scheme will make both financially and environmentally and you have yourself a recipe for success.

And what’s more, while the summer months remain and the sun lights up the evening sky (when it’s not raining), it’s the perfect excuse to get some exercise in before the winter weather returns.

We’re all going on a summer holiday!

In the wise words of Sir Cliff Richard, the summer months are the perfect time to kick back and enjoy the sun (when it decides to bless us with its presence).

Whether you’re looking to take the kids away once school’s out, simply want a few days to relax and reset or need to take care of some important life admin, then Holiday Trading is the ideal benefit for you.

Typically, Holiday Trading allows employees to purchase up to five extra days of annual leave on top of their contracted allowance. What’s better, they can even make tax and National Insurance savings on the trade.

But what if you want to save for a rainy day? For those that perhaps prefer to work, it’s possible to sell any unwanted annual leave (be mindful that there is a limit to the amount of days you can sell too). Your employer will pay you at the agreed daily rate for your working, this of course is subject to tax and National Insurance.

Either way, you can either choose to spend more time with the family this summer or put some money aside for a weekend trip.

Let’s face it, this has probably been the wettest summer in history!

Ok, we may be exaggerating, but the ratio of sunny to rainy days just doesn’t add up. So, in order to swap our coats for beach towels, it’s no wonder many of us are looking ahead and earmarking sunnier climates for a trip abroad.

From vacations planned months in advance to the last-minute getaways, you can secure fantastic savings and discounts on your travel package, meaning a few extra quid in your pocket for that round of ice creams.

Our Marketplace plays host to the following providers who can help slash the cost of your next holiday, including:

HotelPlanner

HotelPlanner is one of the world’s top providers of individual, group and corporate travel bookings, specializing in unique “Closed User Group” discount rates. We have a portfolio of 50,000 hotels with exclusive pricing where the discounts can be up to 65%.

UTC Travel

UTC Travel is the UK’s leading travel club bringing together everything you need, to travel everywhere, all at trade prices. Members get year-round access to savings of up to 40% across an unrivalled range of travel and lifestyle services, including 1.5 million hotels worldwide.

WPP

Discover the World of Instant Savings: Experience the joy of immediate savings with our exclusive discounts, ranging up to a whopping 85%! From travel to lifestyle, fashion to entertainment, technology to wellbeing, World Privilege Plus opens doors to a wealth of opportunities where you can enjoy the finest offerings at a fraction of the cost.

Are we there yet?

The four words most of us hate to hear when travelling. But imagine coupling it with the phrase ‘why aren’t we moving?’ as you’re broken down on the side of the road.

Perhaps Travel Insurance wasn’t at the forefront of your mind when thinking about potential summer benefits, but hear us out.

Until the clocks change and welcome in winter, we all like to make the most of the lighter evenings. And this includes travelling. Whether you’re looking for an easier holiday in the UK, or travelling to see the family, journeying by car is nowadays (when you consider the cost of train travel) an easier and cheaper route.

And as we rack up the miles, we put ourselves at greater risk of our car breaking down.

By ensuring you’re covered, you can gain instant access to breakdown cover on a vehicle-specific basis. And that’s where our Marketplace provider, Vehicle Benefits, can help.

Vehicle Benefits

Your employees can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with being covered by a leading provider. Vehicle Benefits works with the RAC to offer discounted breakdown cover on a vehicle specific basis. Via the Zest platform, your employee can save up to 50% compared to RAC pricing and with four levels of cover, ranging from UK Roadside Assistance to European Multi-Trip, there is something to suit every need.

Benefits include:

• No employer financial risk
• No employer implementation costs
• Salary Sacrifice for employees, resulting in national insurance savings
• Cover up to four vehicles per policy
• Extend cover to family members or friends vehicles
• Cover can be selected in any month (anytime benefit)

The kids might get the summer off, but what about the parents?

Sadly, life doesn’t quite work like that, and many working parents can often find it difficult to balance their life inside and outside of the workplace. For those that can’t make the most of flexible/hybrid working during the lighter months, or for those that simply need a distraction-free day to focus on a big project, childcare support is a great support for those with little ones.

While some working parents may still use the existing Childcare Vouchers Scheme, we wanted to flag a number of our Marketplace providers that could help with emergency childcare or workplace nurseries this summer.

Gogeta

Gogeta help you to enrich the physical, mental and financial health of your employees via innovative Cycle to Work and Workplace Nursery schemes.

Yurtle

Yurtle is an employee benefit provider helping companies to combat caregiver burnout and the associated productivity and employee turnover losses in the workplace. Their insurance cover and caregiver support app place care breakdown prevention at the core of our solution, spanning child, elder and specialised care.

Picking just five benefits for this blog was tougher than old boots. We love benefits, they’re our bread and butter, so we felt it necessary to highlight a few others that you can make the most of before we go all Game of Thrones and start to whisper ‘Winter is Coming’.

• Travel Insurance
• Nutrition help – Nutrable
• Physical wellbeing – LRG on Demand

To find out more about the benefits available via our Zest Marketplace offering, visit our website here.

If you’re looking to implement a new employee benefits platform to host our Marketplace offering, then you can book a demo today!