At Refresco, our journey to benefits transformation started with a stark reality: only 30% of our UK workforce felt they had “special and unique benefits.” In a competitive labor market, that stat wasn’t just disappointing, it was a real call to action. We saw a significant opportunity to completely transform our EVP…
With leadership buy-in and data from our Great Place to Work survey, we wanted our benefits to act as a lever to enhance attraction, retention, and engagement. But our workforce is diverse and dispersed – 1,600 people across six UK factories, most working 12-hour shifts without daily access to digital tools. To succeed, we had to make benefits accessible, equitable, and engaging for every employee.
Step one was building a better foundation
Previously, our benefits were fragmented, which created inconsistency and confusion for employees. We brought everything together into one platform, creating a single, easy-to-use destination for all things reward and benefits. Alongside that, we introduced a suite of new flexible benefits – private medical, dental, partner life assurance, EVs, will writing, and more – designed to meet individual employee needs.
We also prioritised equity, and wanted to ensure fairness and impact. Standardising life assurance, which was previously varied across the business, was just one example of this. We now offer a minimum of 3x salary for all employees – with the flexibility to increase to 10x. Group rates mean employees can increase cover in a cost-effective way, and this has ended up being one of our most popular benefits.
Communications were the foundation for success
Having great benefits means nothing if employees don’t see them. That’s why we invested heavily in communications, with our Head of Communications, Anne Hobson, devising the rollout of “Cheers!” – a multi–channel campaign aiming to engage colleagues at every touchpoint. To get the engagement we were striving for with our deskless workforce, we also needed to tell employees about the platform in person.
Over two weeks, we met over 1,200 employees face-to-face. Anne and I hit the road, traveling more than 700 miles to visit all six of our UK factory sites. We answered questions, showed them how to log in and use the platform, and showed them how these changes were a direct response to their feedback. We didn’t sugarcoat the past – we said, “What you had wasn’t good enough. This is what we’ve done to fix it.” That transparency really built credibility.
The roadshows sparked immediate engagement. Platform logins spiked after each visit, and we saw word-of-mouth conversations unfold in real-time on factory floors.
The impact of the new program
The results speak for themselves. 71% of employees logged into the platform, and more than half selected at least one benefit. Life assurance take-up surged – driven by both competitive pricing and clear communication.
Just three months into the launch, employee satisfaction with benefits had jumped 66% – from 30% to 50%. And even more powerfully, benefits emerged as the most mentioned area in our Great Place to Work survey.
Changing the conversation
It was a big shift for our leadership team, too. Initially, there was skepticism – focused on take-up percentages. But by reframing the conversation, we got them to understand it’s not just about how many people opt in, it’s about giving every employee the option to choose what’s right for them. And now, with proven impact, getting leadership support for new benefits has become easier.
What’s next…
Our next focus is sustaining engagement beyond enrolment. We’ve already seen an average of 10 logins per employee, proving that people are coming back to the platform, exploring, and engaging. Alongside promoting benefits year-round, we’re also using new feedback to refine our offering. We’ve already started exploring what unique benefits could look like for our workforce – ones that reflect not just industry trends, but our people’s lives.
If I’ve learned one thing, it’s this: delivering a great benefits experience is hard work – but it’s worth every step. When employees feel seen, supported, and empowered, the results go far beyond enrolment numbers. They feel valued. That’s what we were looking to achieve – and our latest Great Place to Work Survey shows we’re making headway. Our benefits strategy has already moved the dial on the overall trust index, and we can’t wait to see how our upcoming plans increase this further.
At The Benifex Forum, Sarah and Anne shared Refresco’s powerful reward transformation story – and how their innovative approach to communication successfully engaged a largely deskless workforce. Check out the full session on demand here or read their commentary. Their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed: Refresco has already picked up several industry awards this year for both their bold communications strategy and the impact of their refreshed reward and benefits offering.
Benifex is the proud Wellbeing Partner of Culture Pioneers – a campaign to both support organisations driving impactful culture change, and commend those who are leading forward and challenging the status quo at work.
