PricewaterhouseCoopers will include its new concierge service as part of its
flexible benefits package if 10 per cent of staff sign up to the scheme during
a year-long trial at the firm.
The company hopes the initiative will improve retention of key staff among
its 20,000 UK-based employees.
Sarah Churchman, diversity manager at PwC, thinks the scheme has already had
some impact on reducing the staff turnover rate, which at 20 per cent is down 5
per cent on last year’s figure.
Churchman also believes the scheme will make staff more productive.
"Concierge services are not about tying employees to their desks for
longer. They are about giving employees the peace of mind that they are in control
of their lives," she said.
"It should make staff a lot more focused at work and less
stressed."
For £15 a month PwC staff can make unlimited requests to the life management
company Enviego. Requests so far range from booking a skiing holiday for 30 people
and finding a financial advisor to locating a project manager for the
refurbishment of a house and restaurant bookings.
"With the increase in dual-income couples men have lost their
traditional concierge – their wife," said Churchman.
