Staff
loyalty and IT skills among staff at Dixons have been improved by a loan scheme
offering employees the chance to buy a computer after two years’ service with
the company.
In
exchange for a small cut in salary, a member of staff is loaned a computer for
two years with the option to buy at the end of that time.
Employees
choosing to make the purchase at the end of the two years, made cost savings of
up to 40 per cent on the retail price, said Dixon. The scheme was offered to
17,000 eligible staff in Dixon, with one in seven employees taking up the
offer.
Recent
legislation from Gordon Brown on discretionary tax allowances gave employees
the opportunity to acquire PCs in this way.
Dixons
is now offering the PC loan programme to UK companies. The scheme will enable employers to purchase
computers and loan them to staff over a two-year period.
“Aside
from the goodwill and loyalty created by offering employees a bargain, it makes
economic sense for companies to help their employees to obtain a home PC, as
users can improve their IT skills, which in turn improves productivity,” said
Alan Uren, director of Dixons Group Business Services.
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Karen
Higginbottom
