In the latest instalment of our HR industry executive interview series, we spoke to Vivup CEO Simon Moyle about his company, the biggest challenges facing the sector and how we can overcome them, the importance of workplace wellbeing and mental health, and the 4-day working week…
Tell us about your company, products and services.
Vivup is an award-winning employee benefits provider. We currently deliver comprehensive health and wellbeing benefits to over 450 public and private sector organisations, support 1.5 million employees across the UK and are trusted by over 70% of the NHS.
We have just launched a wellbeing and benefits package specifically designed to support small to medium sized businesses. We are an SME ourselves and believe the time is now right for us to share this same support more widely. We are passionate about helping employers give something back to their staff at an affordable and transparent cost while generating employer savings to subsidise this. We have worked hard on our proposition, designing it for the needs of today’s businesses as they adapt to attract, engage and retain their best people with a proven employee benefits solution.
We are also proud that our clients have won Employee Benefits Awards over the past 3 years and this year, our clients have been shortlisted for 5 awards – the ceremony is due to be held later this month in London, so we are all very excited!
What have been the biggest challenges the Human Resources industry has faced over the past 12 months?
Recruitment, retention and the cost of stress related absences. Statistics tell us that almost four in five workers had a stress-related absence last year, with its associated costs for the employer and other colleagues left to pick up the slack. The cost associated is staggering and the need to support and reduce these statistics is overwhelming.
Wellbeing should be at the heart of every solution. Working from home is now the norm and I don’t believe things will change soon. Everyone’s telling me the same thing – that nobody wants to get back into sitting in traffic jams for 45 minutes every morning and to be paying for a coffee and a sandwich at lunch. We need to understand the needs of employees working remotely. It’s certainly a lot harder when you can’t offer the office environment and its watercooler moments.
And what have been the biggest opportunities?
Providing wellbeing solutions to support your people. It’s been a tough few years, we are trying to retain and engage our employees, recruit talent in a difficult market and support their wellbeing both mentally, financially and physically.
For an organisation to thrive, we must keep our finger on the pulse of employee wellbeing. We are an SME ourselves and we use our own wellbeing solutions internally and have seen first-hand the positive outcomes to our people and business. Vivup has grown from 17 to 115 staff over the last three years and our engagement levels are sky high.
What is the biggest priority for the Human Resources industry in 2022/23?
Again, introducing policies for wellbeing and keeping on top of emerging stress related problems or burnout when employees are working remotely.
Our work life is led by Zoom and Teams and on camera, people put on a bit of a front, so how can a leader/manager know what’s really going on when the camera is off? Typically, SMEs are run by people who just get their heads down and are trying to do a good job. Managers need to understand what is really happening within the organisation and to know when problems are beginning to start. Such information enables an employer to put policies in place that encourage better employee wellbeing.
What are the main trends you are expecting to see in the market in 2022/23?
Increasing importance of remote work and flexibility. We have seen the first 4 day working trial go live so it’s safe to say that flexibility will be key to employees and the workplace in the next year or so. Keeping this remote and flexible workforce connected and engaged will be a priority – as well as preventing stress and burnout as people work harder over a shorter period.
Peer-to peer recognition and a host of wellbeing resources will continue to grow and move further up the agenda and providers like us will continue to source the best-in-class solutions to support employers and employees.
What technology is going to have the biggest impact on the market this year?
Employee benefit digital platforms. For many companies, technology has been invaluable throughout the past two years, helping them reach a remote workforce in an effective and engaging way. Just as flexibility is key, digital platforms can help HR leaders and business owners capitalise on data and reports that cater to the health and wellbeing of their workers. Encouraging better employee wellbeing, as well as benchmarking their own company’s performance and competitiveness against industry-average metrics also provided by the technology behind our employee benefits platform.
We have seen the power of technology, so watch this space on how it continues to change to help meet our changing needs.
In 2025 we’ll all be talking about…?
How good the four-day working week is!
Which person in, or associated with, the Human Resources industry would you most like to meet?
That would have to be Stephen Bartlett. When he set up Social Chain, their working environment and culture was recognised as something special. It was all about his team and making sure their wellbeing and happiness was catered for and central to everything ensuring that the work they produced was pretty special too.
You go to the bar at the HR Summit – what’s your tipple of choice?
Double Disaronno Sours with either cherry or strawberry syrup!
What’s the most exciting thing about your job?
By far the most exciting part of my job is watching our people grow and develop. Empowering everyone to do their job successfully – that is so satisfying and head and shoulders above anything else I do.
And what’s the most challenging?
Not wanting to take control all the time! I have always been hands on, that is who I am. Remembering that I have exceptional team around me who are more than capable and waiting to be invited to contribute and not forcing myself into those situations – that’s by far the hardest part.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
This was given to me by an ex-boss of mine and has always stuck with me. It’s the hand in the bucket of water analogy. So, let’s say the hand is me and the bucket is my organisation, when you take the hand out of the bucket it creates a ripple for a short period but then disappears and no one remembers the hand was even there. In short, when you think you are indispensable, the reality is you are not!
Our retention levels at Vivup are exceptional but from time to time, people move on, we have developed them and helped them grow and that is a great thing, and we should wish them well.
The Crown or Peaky Blinders?
Close call as I like them both, but it would have to be Peaky Blinders!
