GEO AWARD WINNERS

Employers are starting to recognize that financial worries can have a negative impact on employees' mental and physical health and are taking steps to address this through financial wellness policies and support. Even small companies with limited budgets are getting in on the act.

In response to this need, Sage decided to improve its existing ‘Save and Share’ plan to encourage employees to take control of their finances and participate in the plan. Feedback from employees highlighted that the reward and benefit information was difficult to navigate, so Sage made changes to its microsite, housing pay and reward, benefits, and recognition in one place and with a single sign-on.

The equity area of the microsite was rebranded as the ‘Discover Share Plan Hub’, providing easy access to existing resources such as plan information, interactive jargon and myth busters, FAQs and employee testimonial videos. New resources were introduced to help employees participate and consider the longer-term financial implications of being a shareholder.

Sage also introduced a modelling calculator to help employees understand the number of options they could purchase and calculate the share value and potential profit. A maturity page was also added, where staff could access their exercise choices, tax guides, and submit instructions for their maturing plans.

The microsite's relaunch saw Sage's plan participation increase from 23% to 31%, indicating that the new educational resources had improved uptake. The judges were impressed with Sage's focus on the user experience and the educational resources that improved employees' share ownership knowledge. The resources reached all colleagues across the organization, including new joiners, and the judges commended Sage for removing the stress of participating in the plan.