Working in collaboration with our clients to make a difference
Our frontline colleagues are often less visible to our clients than their own staff, however, the work they do is critical to keeping workspaces safe and clean. Sometimes they are even considered hidden workers.
We value when clients see our colleagues as their own – often our people work with or for the same client for a long time.
We have been working in partnership with Legal & General (L&G) and Bellrock providing cleaning and hygiene services since 2019. We were delighted to support the implementation of their Hidden Workers initiative with our colleagues working on this contract, capturing their feedback, and making the necessary adjustments on our side to benefit their wellbeing.
About the initiative
Appreciating the challenges faced by frontline workers who, depending on contractual agreements, do not always receive the same level of benefits as other employees, and who are reported to face poorer health outcomes, it was imperative to L&G and Bellrock to initiate positive change and reduce health inequalities across its portfolio.
To identify where and how the biggest impact could be made, in May 2022 L&G commissioned Tavistock Relationships for a report to capture the experiences of the hidden workforce.
Workshops across L&G’s partner and supplier networks then took place to determine how to implement the Tavistock report’s recommendations throughout the entire value chain.
In October 2022, we surveyed our 48 Churchill colleagues working on this contract in a bid to capture their initial thoughts on work-life balance, engagement, communication, and overall job satisfaction.
Shortly after our initial survey, the Hidden Workers initiative was launched providing all frontline workers access to death in service benefit, sick pay from day one, as well as virtual healthcare including GP appointments which their families can access too. Compassionate leave, family support, and time for training and education courses have been provided at discretion under the benefits package.
The impact
Following on from our baseline 2022 survey prior to the launch of the initiative, we surveyed our colleagues again in October 2023. Our 2023 survey indicated a significant increase in work-life balance satisfaction by 29% with 100% of surveyed Churchill colleagues expressing job satisfaction and 96% saying they would recommend their current employer, despite only 20% of sick pay actually being used.
We repeated our survey in March 2024, with the results indicating a tangible positive impact. 100% said their job complemented their lifestyle, 93% felt increased job security and 86% stated the benefits package has increased their loyalty to their employer.
“I have been here 23 years and I am very proud of the Churchill team and what they achieve. What L&G, Bellrock, and Churchill are giving us in extra benefits has made me respect them more and made me very happy.”
These are fantastic results which prove that putting people first makes a huge difference and leads to happier, more engaged colleagues who are staying with us longer.
Over 650 people working on the L&G portfolio benefitted from the Hidden Workers commitments. Most importantly to us, the initiative was received well by our Churchill colleagues working on this contract, who appreciated the extended benefits and the added sense of security and flexibility.
The initiative has also received industry recognition, recently winning the Wellbeing award at the 2024 PFM Awards, and a Highly Commended award in the Wellbeing category at the 2024 IWFM Impact Awards.
“I’ve downloaded the WeCare Programme app at work to book a GP appointment. Within 10 minutes of completing the registration and identification process, I was able to request a call from the doctor with the option to upload up to 5 supporting documents which was very useful and easy to action. Overall, I found the online GP service easy to access and use; it’s a convenient way to access healthcare services at a time that works for me without having to attend doctors’ surgeries or wait for an appointment. I appreciate the added flexibility to prioritise my health and plan to use the service again for my next appointment. “
The Hidden Workers initiative is a great example of a strategic partnership in action where our values of putting people first, doing the right thing and seeking better for our clients aligned closely with those of L&G, Bellrock and other service partners, and we all strived towards a shared goal of enhancing the wellbeing of our people. We’re lucky to work with such forward-thinking clients who appreciate their entire workforce, and this initiative provides a great case study to explore with our other clients in hope to support more of similar initiatives in the future.
