About Robert Walters
Robert Walters is a world leading specialist recruitment consultancy, with a presence in 31 countries. As a consultancy, the business prides itself on having a collaborative culture — with clients, candidates and internally.
Belinda Mott, Senior Commercial and Projects Manager, led a project to roll out Perkbox across the Robert Walters ANZ region. Belinda explains how the roll out made Perkbox available to both internal employees and their contingent workforce who are engaged in temporary or contract positions with Robert Walters clients.
"When somebody becomes a contractor with Robert Walters, they become part of our community, which is why when searching for a benefits provider it was critical to find a supplier that could offer the same benefits and discounts to our contingent workforce as we're able to offer to our internal staff."
A meaningful support system
Having previously used another provider for benefits, Belinda says she was looking to provide a greater level of support.
"When the cost-of-living crisis began, we evaluated the different ways in which we were supporting our community and identified that despite widespread financial pressures, the uptake of our discount provider was low. This led us to revisit this portion of our EVP to improve the offering, by including easy to access discounts with relevant, everyday retailers."
This focus on having a complete support package meant that employees and contractors could utilise every part of our platform. Belinda adds:
"Perkbox gave us benefits and discounts to everyday retailers. [In addition], the wellness offering was a huge sell for me — being able to give benefits to our community that extend past just financial…Our teams use it at the beginning of sales meetings. I even use the sleep stories for my son every night!"
Caring for contractors
Looking after Robert Walters contractor community was a particular focus for Belinda. She explained that in general, contractors aren't always able to access the standard benefits offered to permanent employees at the same organisation. It’s something she was passionate about changing, believing it was just the right thing to do.
"This is the group that we wanted to bring into the fold. We wanted to say ‘You’re with us and we’re on your side’. The benefit of an offering like this, is a happy and more loyal workforce.
Temporary employment has huge advantages, but we wanted to ensure they weren’t losing out when it came to employee benefits. We’re saying to them “we’re investing in you because you are a valued part of our workforce."
Interestingly, a recent survey conducted of Robert Walters contractors revealed that 53% of those who opted into contractor benefits, utilised Perkbox the most.
"We’re also transitioning all of our internal incentives onto Perkbox,” adds Belinda. “The next stage is rewarding our contractors. To be able to recognise them individually in different roles, and for them to give shoutouts to each other — that’s the ultimate for me and that’s where we’re headed."
Excellent everyday engagement
As with any software, being able to show a genuine return on investment is important. Since launching Perkbox, Belinda has been pleased with the regular usage, comparing it to the previous platform by saying: "Activation rates are consistent, but we have double the uptake and usage with Perkbox."
A big reason for this is ease of usage. Perkbox can be accessed 24/7 via a mobile app, and Belinda says the fact that it’s “super easy” made engagement easier.
"It’s as easy as Spotify or Deezer — it’s already there. You click it like any other app and you have everything that you need."
The simplicity becomes especially important for those looking to save money on purchases in the moment.
"For me, the best thing about using Perkbox is that you can enter the required amount in-store when you need it. You don’t have to pre-purchase high amounts — for example a $500 voucher to spend across three or four shopping trips. You can use it instantly in real-time.
When you think of the current cost of living crisis — with other providers you purchase a voucher for $500 and it may save you $20, but very few people have $500 to spend in one transaction currently. With Perkbox, you get the discount today, and only spend what you need.”
Turning the transactional into the personal
While Robert Walters already had a strong EVP, the introduction of Perkbox has added to this, and has also helped shape perceptions.
"The biggest thing for me was supporting our contractor community more effectively. Giving them a product that was fit for purpose and supporting them in all facets of their journey, rather than us just being their career partner.
"I really wanted something that would help us say ‘you are on this journey with us. We are here to support you personally and professionally’. This is what we're continually striving to achieve and Perkbox is supporting our teams to consistently deliver this."
