4th Contact moves into public sector for first time

The Governmentís Adult Learning Inspectorate progresses to 4th Contact to manage and communicate flexible benefits online

The governmentís Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI), a non-departmental public body, is implementing 4th Contactís online solution to save time and money after previously running a paper-based flexible benefits system for its employees.

The ALIís role is to inspect and report on the quality of education and training for adults and young people funded by public money and it employs 250 people to do so.

By implementing 4th Contactís online system to manage and communicate benefits, it means that the HR team can spend less time administering the system and more time working strategically.

ìInitially, we used flexible benefits as a harmonisation tool,î explains Sue Lanigan, HR Adviser Compensation and Benefits of the Adult Learning Inspectorate, ìas the ALI was formed from 3 separate organisations, each offering staff different benefits. Providing flexible benefits enabled us to effectively coordinate and manage all benefits so that the system was fair to all. It also gives each employee the chance to choose benefits which suit their own personal circumstances.

ìThe downside of flexible benefits, however, was the administrative burden,î adds Lanigan. The sheer amount of time it took to manage the paper work hindered the team and decreased its ability to work on higher value projects.

James Verner, account director at 4th Contact, says, ìOur team has put a great deal of work into developing a streamlined system that reduces workload and makes financial sense for HR and benefit teams in the public sector. Each team has its own unique challenges and they want to partner with a company that understands and relieves their benefits problems. This has been our goal and gaining the Adult Learning Inspectorateís support shows that weíve jumped the biggest hurdleî.