How StepChange Debt Charity looks after its own employees’ financial wellbeing

StepChange Debt Charity is the UK's largest specialist provider of free debt advice and solutions, helping around 620,000 people a year. We currently employ over 1,500 colleagues across eight locations through the UK. I am the charity's first people services director and sit on the executive board to help fulfil our commitment to develop our colleagues.

Employer brand

I consider our colleagues to be our greatest asset, and am proud of the friendly, diverse and open culture that runs across the organisation. We strive to be the employer of choice for socially-minded individuals, who work to provide the highest levels of service to clients struggling with, or at risk of, problem debt.

Problem debt is estimated to cost the UK billions of pounds through the damage it causes to family life, mental and physical health, productivity and employment prospects and costs to the welfare state, the NHS, local government and other agencies.

It is therefore clear that debt advice has an important role to play, and we are at the forefront of providing the help that benefits not just individuals but also wider society. Alongside our role in society, we take seriously our duty as an employer to look after our colleagues’ financial wellbeing.

Benefits

StepChange Debt Charity offers a range of flexible working arrangements and health-related benefits, to promote colleague wellbeing and work-life balance, which includes:

a healthcare programme which allows colleagues to claim money back on everyday healthcare, such as dental and ophthalmic services, chiropody and physiotherapy sessions

a confidential, independent 24-hour advice line, giving colleagues access to counselling, plus advice on legal issues, tax, eldercare and childcare

assistance with travel season ticket loans, childcare vouchers, cycle-to-work incentives and pension planning

a generous holiday entitlement, which increases with length of employment and can be further added-to by ‘purchasing’ up to five extra days per year.

Additionally, the charity provides free mortgage advice to employees and a Debt Advice Policy & Procedure which highlights the range of services available and how the confidential and anonymous services can be accessed.

We also provide all colleagues with monthly access to a pensions advisor, who offers free advice to enable effective pension planning.

Volunteering

A sense of wellbeing is also driven by giving back to society and we are committed to supporting the work of other charities. Each year we ask colleagues to vote for their ‘Charity of the Year’. In 2017 we raised £7,388 for Simon on the Streets, a Yorkshire based charity, which offers help to homeless people across Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield.

In June I am looking forward to launching a colleague engagement programme, which will be focused on driving physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

As people services director, I’m hoping to build a comprehensive wellbeing strategy that will enable everyone at the charity to work smarter rather than harder, proactively manage their health, finances and wellbeing and provide the best possible service to our colleagues.

This article is written by Melanie Manners, people services director at StepChange Debt Charity