Not that it’s a secret to us at Eximia – but all-employee share plans make a vast improvement to employee financial wellbeing. And as we know, financial wellbeing has a positive impact on our mental, physical and social wellbeing.
Recently, share plans have been featured by The Sun. And earlier this month, our client Rolls-Royce made a splash across mainstream media with their new share plan, featuring in the Financial Times and the BBC.
So why this surge in stories? The economy has struggled in recent years with Brexit, Covid, the great resignation, inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. Many people are still feeling the pinch and are looking for ways to secure their financial future – and this is where share plans come in.
Companies have a unique opportunity to bring their colleagues on a journey to improved financial and mental wellbeing. Whether it’s instilling good savings habits with Sharesave, helping colleagues start their own shareholder journey with a share purchase plan, or thanking them with a gift of free shares, being involved in a share plan is a valuable investment.
What do the statistics say?
At ProShare’s SIP and SAYE report launch, we heard how popular share plans are. 303 UK companies offer Sharesave plans and on average, more than a third of their workforce join – saving an average of over £180.
The information on SIP is even more encouraging, with 410 organisations empowering a total of 732,207 employees to invest in shares. These participants’ holding is worth, on average, nearly £5,500. And this of course doesn’t include unapproved share plans or discretionary share plans.
These are people who, without the vehicle of share plans, may not otherwise have the opportunity to invest in their own future in this way. So why has it been such a secret? Having been in this industry for a few years now, my guess would be because the way we talk about it is so impenetrable. We know that exercising your options means deciding what to do with your investment – not choosing which machine to use at the gym.
Communication is key
To share this great secret, we need to demystify how we talk about it. Share plans have legal, financial and tax considerations. These things are inherently complex, so let’s do what we can to translate it into plain English.
This is what we’ve been doing for our clients for well over a decade. Discretionary, global, unapproved – as well as SIP and SAYE – we bring it to life, so your colleagues are engaged, educated and empowered to make the right decision for them.
Need our help? Our consultants work hand in hand with our creative team to create the best outcome for our clients. Book your 30-minute discovery call!
