In Your Shoes - James McDonald

Monday

There’s something about the drive up the east coast on a sunny day that never fails to lift the spirits, and Monday’s weather certainly didn’t disappoint. I spent the day on-site with a client in Dundee. Our focus was on flexible benefits software and how it can be a game-changer in offering a more personalised and sustainable employee experience.

Gone are the days of guessing what people want – today’s workforce values choice, and with the right, affordable platform, employers can let staff select the benefits that genuinely matter to them. From workplace savings such as pension schemes and share save plans, and insured options like death in service, private medical insurance and cash plans, to equally valuable lifestyle and financial wellbeing perks such as mortgage and pension advice, financial education, electric vehicles, childcare support, technology loans, digital GPs, EAPs, retail discounts and much more – the possibilities are extensive!

Beyond improving employee engagement, wellbeing, recruitment and staff retention, a carefully implemented, compliant salary sacrifice scheme can also unlock significant National Insurance savings for employers. A real win-win. These kinds of discussions remind me how powerful it is when business strategy, technology and employee wellbeing go hand in hand.

Tuesday

Tuesday took me to Ayrshire for a fantastic catch up with my trusted peer Kathryn from People Puzzles and my colleague Stacy Cushnan from the Mattioli Woods Wealth Management team. People Puzzles provides experienced part-time HR directors to ambitious businesses, helping them scale and succeed through strategic HR leadership, and Kathryn is exceptional at this. Stacy, one of our wealth management specialists, helps individuals and families navigate their financial journey with tailored, long-term advice focused on security and growth.

As an Employee Benefits Consultant, I'm always looking to stay ahead of the curve on best practices so I can bring the very best solutions to my clients. Meeting regularly with peers and colleagues is a key part of that. Our conversation covered the recent amendments to the Employment Rights Bill (who better than Kathryn to provide insight here), alongside my own experience of how businesses can help their employees become more financially educated and secure, and ultimately thrive.

Stacy offered brilliant perspective too, particularly on how individuals can take control of their own financial wellbeing. In the wake of recent political and economic shifts, we also looked at how businesses can drive tax efficiency and get maximum value from the investment they make in their people.

Being in Alloway, it would have been rude not to wander through the Robert Burns memorial gardens on my lunch. The eagle-eyed among you will spot the bridge from Tam o’ Shanter in the background.

Wednesday

I was in sunny Broughty Ferry on Wednesday to spend the day with a potential client and review their insured benefits – specifically their death in service, private medical insurance and cash plan. With the new Employment Rights Bill now in effect and Statutory Sick Pay, Maternity Pay and flexible working rights starting from day one of employment, it’s more important than ever to plan properly and use risk and health benefits strategically.

They’ve been absorbing the full cost of long-term absence through company sick pay, and we’re now exploring how income protection could provide more sustainable support for both employer and employee while reducing costs. Reviewing all their benefits gives us a chance to take a holistic view – helping prevent illness, remove duplicated cover, and reduce overall spend while supporting both wellbeing goals and compliance requirements.

There’s also a real opportunity here to improve employee engagement through education around these benefits, which in turn supports recruitment, retention and productivity. Affordable technology will offer a huge advantage in this exercise. I also had the chance to take a walk down to the sea front for lunch. In the sunshine, Broughty Ferry looked its best – great location, great meeting, great day!

Thursday

A trip to West Calder to meet with another potential client gave me the chance to dig into their current pension arrangements. They’ve been dissatisfied with the service from their current provider, so we’re now assessing whether the scheme is still the right fit – both for the business and its employees.

We’ll be reviewing it across several key areas: value for money (employee charges and employer fees), fit for purpose (compliance, auto-enrolment needs, quality of support), investment performance (how it compares to the wider market, whether default funds are appropriate), and engagement and education (member awareness, impact on recruitment and retention, alignment with retirement goals, and the effectiveness of the salary sacrifice structure).

Employers have a duty to maintain pension governance and compliance, but that’s only part of the picture. We also help ensure internal processes and practices behind the scheme support these outcomes effectively and sustainably.

Friday

I spent the day in Edinburgh with a national accountancy firm, getting a clearer picture of how peers in different financial professions are improving outcomes for their corporate clients. Conversations focused on the pain points our clients face in these challenging times: recruitment, retention, taxation, cash flow, payroll planning, and the impact of legislative changes like the Employment Rights Bill and National Insurance increases.

Understanding how peers are advising their clients allows me to ensure that I’m always providing my clients with considered, strategic guidance. It's also a good reminder of how closely finance and HR decisions are now linked, especially when businesses are looking to drive value from every area of spend.

All in all, a productive week when the weather gladly made me feel like I was writing a travel blog!