The approach
With the green light from management, Susanna quickly identified Reward Gateway as the right partner to provide an employee benefits offering for Ashford Borough Council – appropriately christened My Ashford Rewards. And using the highly customisable elements of Reward Gateway’s offering, Susanna was able to start building an employee benefits brand which was instantly identifiable to all of the council’s staff members. This included a personal name for the offering, matching the organisation’s corporate branding and the introduction of Sir Wilbur of Trottsville – who quickly become the council’s much loved internal benefits mascot.
Wilbur was featured heavily in Susanna’s promotion of the council’s employee benefits offering – he was included in a monthly article in the staff magazine, placed on branded chocolate bars when the offering was launched, changed up his appearance to match the seasons – and even appearing in person at key staff events! Susanna didn’t stop at Wilbur the mascot; she used a bespoke communication strategy which used a range of engagement tools to reach Ashford Borough Council’s diverse workforce.
Susanna’s strategy focussed on the drip feeding of information at employee’s desks and around the office, helping the My Ashford Rewards sink in and form part of employee’s everyday shopping habits. And as an added bonus of Susanna’s role, she comes into contact with all members of staff and can personally educate new starters on the merits of My Ashford Rewards as well as engaging existing staff members in conversation about the savings to be made. With this direct, tailored approach being so effective, Susanna created the council’s first staff engagement team to support with the increase in popularity.
