The importance of employee benefits with The Construction Consultants
We spoke to Alex Pimley, co-founder and Director of The Construction Consultants, about implementing our salary sacrifice scheme and the importance of getting employee benefits right.
Alex sheds light on how the scheme aligns with his business’s values and ticks all the boxes!
Elise: Alex, thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I'm really interested to hear about your experience with our EV salary sacrifice scheme at The Construction Consultants.
Alex: We were looking at a few options to set up a salary sacrifice scheme and Octopus was the real stand out for us. They’re the most approachable and easy-to-use option and as we've got a day job to focus on, the process needed to be straightforward and not take up too much of our time. Octopus ticked all those boxes – it was simple to set up and manage, which was really important for us.
E: That's great to hear. And how have you seen the uptake of the scheme within your company?
A: We've offered it to all our employees now, currently 19 of them. Uptake seems to be more with the higher-income employees but we’re proud to offer the scheme to the entire workplace. And as the second-hand market ramps up hopefully, we will get even more uptake.
E: That's fantastic. The second-hand market is going to soar in the next few years, and we’ve actually just launched our Nearly New scheme which might be of interest to you.
You mentioned that you took some consideration when it came to employee benefits. Are there any other initiatives you’ve implemented?
A: Absolutely. As well as the EV scheme, we offer private healthcare, medical insurance, flexible working and a few other perks. We're really focused on keeping our team motivated and engaged. In fact, up until last year, we hadn't lost a single employee in seven years, which is a stat we're really proud of. They’ve even rejoined since!
E: That's impressive! Do you think these employee benefits have contributed to that?
A: For sure. We want our employees to feel valued and supported, not just in terms of salary, but also the intangible benefits that make a difference to their overall work experience. Octopus, Vitality, social events and loads of other stuff have helped massively.
E: And what about the company's approach to sustainability? How does the EV scheme fit into that?
A: We find that sustainability comes naturally to us, aligning with a lot of eco-friendly practices. We don't print a lot, we use digital tools like DocuSign, and we encourage things like carpooling and public transport. The EV scheme is a great way for us to support sustainability while also offering a valuable employee benefit.
E: It’s great to hear about your company doing their bit for the environment. It’s interesting to hear about why different companies choose to sign up for the scheme.
A: It’s great for a multitude of reasons really, it ticks all the boxes from a business perspective.
I've been really impressed with Octopus, not just in the EV world but the whole business. You’re changing the sector and forcing the bigger players to adapt, which I enjoy watching. Similar to Tesla, you’re breaking the mould and we’re proud to be a part of that.
The short of it is that we’re really happy with Octopus and the case study you did with Gareth was great too.
The Construction Consultants have helped their team get behind the wheel of an EV whilst saving money with our salary sacrifice scheme - and you can do the same for your team. Whether they drive to Madrid like Gareth, or get behind the wheel of a ‘pre-loved’ EV through our Nearly New scheme, there’s plenty of flexibility so your team can get the most out of this green employee benefit.
Be more like The Construction Consultants and reach out to a member of the team today, or if you’re an employee convince your company to take up the latest and greatest employee benefit.
