Zurich to deliver new reward proposition for UK employees

Leading UK employer and insurer, Zurich announces it has selected Thomsons Online Benefits as a technology provider and will use Thomsons’ Darwin software to deliver its new employee reward proposition in the UK.

Indigo, Zurich UK’s branded version of Darwin, an employee benefits portal, enables Zurich UK's 4,500 employees to access their total reward package in a modern and mobile way.

Zurich UK employees will be able to manage their benefits package online for the first time and access a wealth of supporting information through Indigo, including details of company discounts, marketplace discounts, employment policies and workplace wellbeing initiatives.  Indigo also signposts employees to sources of additional help and support should they need it with links to EAP and a financial education resource.

Commenting on the new look reward proposition, Steve Collinson, Head of UK HRsaid, “We’re proud to be an inclusive and forward-looking employer and part of that means having a twenty-first-century approach to our reward proposition. We’ve chosen to team up with Thomsons Online Benefits to help us deliver modern and relevant benefits to our all UK employees because they are the market leaders in this area.

“Through our work with Thomsons we’re genuinely excited about being able to offer to some new market-leading benefits, like our Virtual GP and Nudge platform, where we’re supporting our people using technology to help them manage their physical and financial wellbeing.  

Whilst it’s early days we’ve had some fantastic feedback already.  Together with our family-friendly policies and supporting agile working across all our locations, we’re confident that our new approach will put us in great shape for the future as we strive to build an even more successful UK business and make Zurich an even better place to work.

Chris Bruce, Managing Director of Thomsons Online Benefits says, “Engaging an increasingly demanding and diverse workforce, and coping with both rapid business change and technology change are huge challenge for todays’ employers.  It’s essential that employers have a modern and dynamic employee benefits package in place to help attract and retain todays’ talent.  

We’re delighted to have joined with Zurich UK, delivering an employee benefits solution which integrates seamlessly with their total reward proposition.   By working together to bring a fresh approach to its benefits offering, Zurich remains well placed to meet these challenges head on and to continue to attract and retain its talented workforce.” 

Refreshed employee benefits proposition

As part of the new approach to employee benefits, Zurich is introducing four new or refreshed core benefits available free of charge to all UK based employees:

Virtual GP – providing 24/7 access to medical experts the service offers:
• Appointments by video or phone call - anytime, anywhere within 2 hours of calling
• Prescriptions within the hour - sent direct to the pharmacy or delivered to your door
• Referral letters in minutes

Lifeworks by Morneau Shepell – a total employee wellbeing solution which offers:
• Personalised support across all aspects of mental, physical, social and financial wellness through ‘snackable’ daily content, audio and video. Participate in well-being challenges 
• Dedicated clinical support – employees can access expert counsellors, advisory content, resources and referrals through a confidential Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)to help swap negative behaviours for positive ones
• Personalised News Feed - stay connected to your community and informed on the topics that matter to you with a live news feed
• Employee Physical Assistance Programme – digital and telephone health coaching for a variety of issues including stress, weight, smoking cessation, sleep management and general health. Track your progress with Health Risk Assessments 
• Perks and discounts - take advantage of exclusive offers helping you save money on daily essentials, major life events and luxury brands

Nudge – a new financial education programme that helps employees manage their money better in two ways:
• A personalised platform that provides financial education posts and ‘Dreams and Goals’ action plans. 
• Personalised ‘nudges’ providing tips, tricks, guidance and actions in line with lifestyle, legislative or company events which employees can choose to receive via email, SMS or WhatsApp.

Flu vaccination
• Available to all employees by redeeming a digital voucher with a leading high street pharmacy
• Enables employees to choose to have their vaccination at a time and location/store that’s convenient to them 

Zurich is also launching five new additional new benefits for UK based employees available through salary sacrifice:
• Virtual GP+ for family members – new option to add partners and children 
• Gadget insurance - Up to £2,000 of annual cover, gives employees peace of mind that should anything happen, their gadget will be repaired or replaced
• Will writing service – Employees have the option to elect from a range of wills, single or couple, basic or complex, with a consultation with a qualified solicitor who prepares and stores the will
• Gym membership – employees can access discounted rates of up to 30% at over 3000 UK gyms, the scheme includes national chains, local leisure centres, boot camps, yoga studios and many more.  Option also available to partners.
• Technology scheme – employees can access latest products with a saving of up to 12% paid, interest free, over 12 months. 

Additional functionality available through Indigo

Indigo also provides employees with a detailed breakdown of their benefits package showing total company contributions and total employee contributions at a glance online for the first time.  

If the employee makes any changes to their existing benefits during the year, the system updates in real time showing employees the financial impact on their total award package.  Employees can access the new online platform 24/7 using any mobile device.