When Automotive and Motorcycle Retail Lind were looking to provide staff with private health benefits, Head of People Sarah St Clair Bishop came across Equipsme. With 250 people at 13 dealerships across the UK representing luxury brands like Porsche, Harley-Davidson and Triumph, Sarah needed a solution that was flexible, practical and affordable.
Sarah says: “I started with Lind three and a half years ago as it was really beginning to grow. I had a wish list and a to do list – and healthcare benefits were towards the top of both. Things like the pandemic and furloughing most of our staff got in the way a bit - but coming out the other side it suddenly became more relevant and more urgent.
“I think post-Covid people are reassessing what they want in life, and what’s important. They’re being more picky about where they want to work and what they want to get out of it. To attract and retain the very best people we need to stand out from the crowd, and really show how much we care.”
Sarah had a good idea about what she was looking for, and Equipsme immediately ticked lots of her boxes.
She continues: “Obviously retail has had a hard time over the last few years, and profit margins are tight - which meant the price-point really was important, and we needed to be getting value for money. We wanted to cover all of our people, and offer them really practical support.
“One of the things that really stood out for us, for instance, was the physiotherapy appointments you get with Equipsme plans. A lot of our roles are physical, because people are working in our repair shops and on our sales floors, and we knew that physio would be incredibly useful. The quicker people get seen the less worry they have, and the less time out of work they need. That’s a win-win for everyone.
“Another key attraction was the flexibility that Equipsme provides. Because it allows people to upgrade their own cover, it means they can choose to add family and pick a higher cover level if they want to. We’re providing a gateway to private healthcare that they can then tailor and control – and that makes it incredibly easy to administrate.”
With only two people in HR, keeping admin down to a minimum was a major consideration. Sarah continues: “We just don’t have the hands-on-deck to manage something complicated. But Equipsme has been so simple – and such a different approach. All the documentation and communication has been really clear and easy to understand, there’s been no hard sell - and Equipsme has been really supportive every step of the way. I’ve taken the paperwork and posters out to all of our sites to introduce Equipsme and roll it out properly. It’s early days but the indications are that it’s been well received.”
Equipsme plans start at £8 per person per month, for a package that includes 24/7 access to a virtual GP, up to 5 physiotherapy sessions per year, an online health check, and a nurse support line – helping to make whole of workforce cover a possibility for more businesses.
Equipsme’s Distribution Director Gavin Shay explains: “Lind is exactly the sort of company we want to support. Progressive, people-focused - and thinking about health insurance for the first time. Our research with consumers shows that more people are worrying about their health or their family’s health after the pandemic, with interest in private health insurance doubling between June 2020 and October 2021.
“Increasingly, people are looking to employers to provide health and wellbeing support, and 57% of working people would now be prepared to sacrifice salary for health benefits. We can see that in practice in the take-up of upgrade options at Lind.”
Sarah concludes: “My hope is that this makes a difference to people, that it gives them peace of mind and back-up when they need it. I really hope it shows we care, because we do. Obviously, the ultimate goal is around attracting talent, reducing sick leave and improving performance, but more than all of that it’s about contributing to the culture that really makes Lind special.
“Lind feels more like a club for our customers than a shop – and that’s value that is being added by the people on the front line. Looking after them just makes good business sense.”
Find out more about LIND.
