The Prince's Trust trusts in benefits

700 staff at charity The Princeís Trust will now be able to take advantage of a new employee benefits programme that has been specially designed and developed by p&mm, a leading employee benefits provider.

The bespoke package will comprise of p&mmís Lifestyle and Lifestyle Extras, employee assistance programme LifestyleAction and the Childcare Plus childcare vouchers. All benefits will be available through a dedicated website which will be branded with The Princeís Trust name.

The award winning Lifestyle package contains savings and discounts across the four core areas of: travel and UK breaks; health and leisure; food and entertainment and home and motoring. Employees receive a brochure containing details of each offer, which include special deals on flight bookings, hotel reservations, gym membership, days out at popular theme parks and attractions, mobile phone contracts, cinema vouchers and further discounts at a wide range of top high street retailers. Lifestyle Extras is an additional package that offers employees the chance to earn cash back each time they make an online purchases at over 1,800 of the UKís top retailers and service providers.

Looking at the range of discounts that p&mm has compiled into Lifestyle for the Trust, Steve Wiggins, HR Director at The Princeís Trust commented: ìp&mm has provided such a vast range of offers that there really is something in there for everyone. It is our belief that employees who enjoy their free time are more likely to feel happy in the workplace and, as a result, be more engaged.

LifestyleAction, the employee assistance programme, enables employers to offer their staff a comprehensive support service that includes counselling, personal tax, legal advice, home assistance, health and medical information, domestic repair and emergency assistance and childcare cover. Expert telephone counselling will be available to address sensitive and personal issues, whether lifestyle of work related, and all counsellors are fully accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Steve Wiggins continued: ìWorking for a busy charity like The Princeís Trust requires a great deal of hard work and dedication. We wanted to introduce a programme that could cover all aspects of employee welfare as well as demonstrate our genuine concern as an employer. p&mm was able to offer a flexible solution that could cater for a diverse range of needs and provided assistance to our employees in the areas that they really needed.î

Additionally, employees taking part in the programme will be eligible for p&mmís Childcare Plus. This scheme has been specially developed to offer working mothers and fathers significant tax and NI savings that will help cover the expensive costs of looking after children from discounted childcare to fun days out for all the family. The package of additional benefits, on top of the first class childcare voucher scheme, offers parents discounts of up to 28 per cent off or 2-for-1 entry at over 300 theme parks, zoos and tourist attractions around the UK. Participating venues include Legoland, The Sea Life Centre, Alton Towers, London Zoo and Chessington World of Adventures plus many local and regional attractions.

Richard Davies commented: ìWe have seen a significant increase in the number of public sector and not-for-profit organisations such as The Princeís Trust, choosing to offer their staff a full benefits programme as a means of retaining their valued employees. The reason is simple. While sales targets or bonuses are not always suitable methods of rewarding staff at these types of organisations, offering employees something above and beyond their basic salary in the form of an employee benefits programme that caters for welfare needs as well as social and lifestyle interests plays a significant role in improving staff satisfaction, motivation and, ultimately, retention.î