EXCLUSIVE: The UK central government is to launch a benefits platform to provide 418,000 civil servants with online access to their employee benefits package.
The bespoke platform has been developed by Edenred, which has been appointed the sole provider of employee benefits to UK government staff through the Employee Services framework, established by the Crown Commercial Services (CCS).
The new platform aims to enhance employee engagement, provide consistency across central government departments and agencies, and deliver commercial savings.
The platform will provide employees with access to voluntary benefits and discounts, childcare vouchers, bikes for work, payroll giving, reward and recognition schemes, as well as key resources and information.
Departments and agencies will also be able to include additional benefits within their employee value proposition, provided through Edenred, which has received pan-government security accreditation.
Individual departments can launch the benefits platform through their own portals. There are expected to be more than 50 portal launches across central government departments and agencies by the end of 2016.
Long overdue considering the first pilot benefits platform was introduced by the Department for Transport in 2011. However, it is ironic that at a time when HMG feels the time is now right to introduce this platform for Civil Servants, it is likely that salary sacrifice arrangements will be severely restricted from early next year.