Retaining quality employees by non-financial benefits is a very burning issue in current HR. Companies are therefore coming up with a range of non-monetary benefits according to the preferences of their employees. The British FCMG manufacturer Unilever bet on taking care of the look of its people. It has just opened a hairdressing salon for its employees in teh UK and Ireland headquarters in Leatherhead. Besides Unilever cosmetic products, professional hairdressing services are available to the employees at a discount.
According to Iain Potter, the Unilever UK vice president for household and personal care products, is not just a matter of promoting corporate brands but a part of a broader corporate effort to promote the concept of agile work. The salon is open from 11 a.m. to 19 p.m., which is most of the working day.
"We want to make sure that the commitments we have as individuals or parents, such as the school run or a preference to exercise in the middle of the afternoon, or even a hair cut, can be accommodated around work," said Potter. The point is to give employees flexibility and trust to better manage work-life obligations.
-Kk-