How Equans UK & Ireland boosted the financial wellbeing of its people, transformed its culture and delivered business savings

How we helped

Combining tangible benefits with targeted education and relatable storytelling, Equans developed and delivered a personalised strategy through myEQUANSbenefits that met employees where they were. This provided everything from immediate financial help to support in planning for future goals.

Salary sacrifice and deduction benefits such as Cycle to Work and SmartTech™ helped to offer financial support for larger purchases, while Holiday Trading allowed staff to take financial decisions over their annual leave and better manage their work-life balance.

Equans promoted its partnership with Wellhub and the Reward Gateway | Edenred Wellbeing Centre, to provide tools and resources that supported employees across all pillars of wellness. Recognising the links between financial pressures, stress and emotional wellbeing, the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) was embedded into every communication touchpoint, ensuring employees were aware of the free, confidential advice and support that was available to them.

Using data and insights from the system,Equans’ HR Benefits team identifiedand then interviewed the company’s ‘Top 10 Savers’ in employee discounts, discussing things like saving techniques and favourite retailers - sharing these stories with the wider workforce to drive system engagement. In addition to targeted webinars and bespoke benefit presentations for specific employee

What they achieved

The financial wellbeing campaign achieved significant, tangible results across the workforce. In just three months, mortgage advice sessions were fully booked every month, with additional slots added. Budgeting webinars achieved high attendance and positive feedback, and the ‘Top 10 Savers’ stories were viewed over 5,000 times – sparking employees to share saving tips and stories locally.

The entire campaign successfully positioned financial wellbeing as a core part of Equans’culture - normalising conversations, encouraging peer learning, and improving access to financial tools and resources. Most importantly, it helped employees to navigate the heightened costs and financial pressures with confidence and long-term security.

Employees experienced significant savings through the system, including £101,000 in discounts. Salary sacrifice programmes including Holiday Trading and Cycle to Work, which saw £354,000 of annual leave purchased and £183,000 of bike and equipment orders respectively, helped to generate huge savings for both employees and Equans. As a result, the National Insurance contributions of employees reduced by £169,000 and for the organisation by £72,000.