Liaison Financial Services Ltd

Liaison One Call Benefits - staff benefits including salary sacrifice

Liaison provides staff benefit programmes to public sector employees. It enables NHS Trusts, Health Boards and Councils to offer staff a wide selection of staff benefits including technology, holidays, gym, lease cars, bikes and EAP. Employers save pension contributions and employees save on NI and employer pension contributions.

Features

• Specialist employee benefits service
• More than 30 salary reduction/deduction benefits to choose from
• Employee Assistance programme focusing on staff wellbeing
• HMRC approved holiday benefits programme focusing on staff health/wellbeing
• Employee mobile app to increase staff awareness of benefits
• Full customer support provided throughout the contract duration
• Real time reporting available for each benefit window
• Every client irrespective of size has an allocated Relationship Manager
• 24/7 remote support centre
• Staff benefits portal to drive engagement

Benefits

• Provide CiP savings for public sector organisations
• Saves employer pension contributions
• Delivers proven staff retention and savings on staff recruitment
• Staff save on NI and Pension contributions
• Improves staff health and wellbeing
• Offers a wide selection of benefits which aids staff recruitment
• Supports employee financial wellbeing
• Service is provided free of charge
• Improves staff productivity and morale
• No financial loans, no credit cards, staff spread payments monthly

£0 a transaction

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at bidsteam@liaisongroup.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

735377303583300

Contact

Chloe Miller
07407646875
bidsteam@liaisongroup.com

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: None
• System requirements: None

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Service centre available 8-8 Monday to Sunday
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: Web chat
• Web chat support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the web chat support is accessible: The online chat system we use is provided by tawk.to. The branded online chat system is integrated with your staff benefits portal and is accessible from any web accessible device.
• Web chat accessibility testing: Any web chat testing is undertaken by tawk.to
• Onsite support: Onsite support
• Support levels: Free Implementation – training and support. We do not charge for implementation, training or onsite support for the duration of the contract. A technical account manager is provided throughout the contract duration.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: We provide on-site support including user documentation and an account manager is provided throughout the contract duration.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: Data is securely deleted upon request in-line with both GDPR and NHS/Council regulations.
• End-of-contract process: Data is securely deleted upon request in line with both GDPR and NHS/Council regulations.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: There are no differences
• Service interface: No
• User support accessibility: None or don’t know
• API: No
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Range of benefits to be offered to staff. Length of time of benefit period. How the benefit is financed. What insurance policies are included. Customisation can be arranged via consultation.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Websites are hosted in a separate hosting packages

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Provide a summary of employees who have joined the scheme and the products purchased during the scheme window.
• Reporting types:
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Reports on request

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Staff screening not performed
• Government security clearance: None

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations: United Kingdom
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Penetration testing approach: ‘IT Health Check’ performed by a Tigerscheme qualified provider or a CREST-approved service provider
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with CSA CCM v3.0
  • Physical access control, complying with SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
  • Physical access control, complying with another standard
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type: Deleted data can’t be directly accessed
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Data can be exported using excel and via a secure online portal
• Data export formats: CSV
• Data import formats: CSV

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks: Legacy SSL and TLS (under version 1.2)
• Data protection within supplier network: Legacy SSL and TLS (under version 1.2)

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: Liaison OneCall constantly monitor system performance and availability. We notify clients/users of any planned outages by email alerts with a guaranteed availability of 99.5% availability excluding scheduled maintenance.
• Approach to resilience: Our storage is resilient to the level that – in a worst-case scenario – whole storage servers and disks can fail with no downtime. Daily backups are taken off-site for extra protection.; ; Redundant and uninterruptible power supplies always in place.
• Outage reporting: Customers would be alerted in advance by email

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication: Other
• Other user authentication: Username and password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: User profiles control access to system data and management interfaces. All user profiles require user name and password log in.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication: Other
• Description of management access authentication: Usrname and password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: User-defined
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: User-defined
• How long system logs are stored for: User-defined

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: QEC
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 15/06/2015
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: All Liaison Services are covered by the certification, our sub-contractors, Liaison OneCall are not currently certified but do adhere to ISO27001 principles.
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications: SSL Certificate on all data transfers

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: No
• Security governance approach: Liaison are ISO27001 accredited and our sub-contractors Liaison OneCall adhere to ISO 27001 principles.
• Information security policies and processes: Although our sub-contractors Liaison OneCall are not accredited, security policies and processes meet ISO 27001 standards and as holding group Liaison Financial Services is ISO27001 accredited.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: The development and configuration is only altered in accordance with the needs of users or based on statutory changes that impact on the system. All changes that affect users, are communicated to users in advance of implementation and all user manuals and training guides are updated accordingly and available online.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Network and hardware monitoring are in place to specifically monitor and prevent potential threats or vulnerability. The provider’s security team regularly update the set of rules that filter-out malicious requests. This ruleset is made from commercially-available resources and custom rules written by the provider’s security team.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Provider implements Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect data and software by blocking suspicious activity. The provider’s WAF inspects every HTTP request for SQL injection, trojans, cross-site scripting, path traversal and many other types of attack. The provider’s security team regularly update our set of rules that filter-out malicious requests. This ruleset is made from commercially-available resources and custom rules written by the provider’s security team. Provider’s servers have a built-in 1 Tbps+ anti-DDoS protection. This enterprise-level protection covers you against most attacks. It only filters-out malicious traffic, so you can carry on working without noticing any interruption.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: We have pre-defined processes for common events. All incidents are reported through the Helpdesk via email (24/7) or telephone. All recorded resolutions are reported back to the user who raised the incident via email

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Supplier-defined process

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  Liaison has a strong track record of minimising carbon emissions through remote delivery.e.g, closing our head office has reduced energy/water usage/carbon emissions with no impact to service delivery. Our Social Value and Sustainability Company Statement details how we drive environmental improvements year-on-year. Assessing/ improving our environmental performance using a robust Environmental Management System, We are working towards being accredited with ISO14001 (environmental supply chain management) with scheduled certification date of June. Our Carbon Reduction Plan (published on our website) outlines Liaison’s commitment to reach Net Zero by 2040, reducing emissions by 40% by 2025 and 80% by 2030 as a minimum. Service Delivery through call-off-contracts is predominantly digital/remotely accessible, minimising environmental impact whilst achieving the same/improved outcomes. Our entire workforce works remotely, functioning on a paperless office basis. In addition, >89% of our services are digitised, reducing the carbon footprint associated with travel/materials. We ran an innovative communications campaign to drive awareness around events such as World Environment Day, resulting in 90% of communication being electronic. Digitising the Service: • People Planning/Analytics/Staff Bank/ Rota and Roster – Our workforce transformation platforms are all digitised, allowing for zero-carbon-footprint access/use. Each service is designed to minimise manual processes/paper use through remotely accessible data portals. • Digital Marketing – A suite of digital marketing tools and an expert team who deliver key marketing messages through digital platforms e.g. social media, negating need for paper based resources. • Where there is need for travel, we will continue to encourage the use of public transport/ incentivise employee car sharing schemes through manager engagement/ESG webinars and continue to work with GMP Drivercare (fleet management tool enabling staff to access hybrid/electric vehicles) to further reduce emissions. Liaison encourage staff to reduce their own emissions by offering benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme e.g. energy-efficient heat pumps/solar panels.

  Covid-19 recovery

  During the Covid-19 pandemic, we are proud to have continued to deliver a ‘business as usual’ service to our clients, despite the pandemic restrictions. Ensuring all reviews have been completed to schedule and have delivered feedback sessions, strategy meetings and training digitally. Liaison remained fully operational with no furlough ensuring that we were able to offer continued business as usual for our clients. Supporting the NHS with cloud-based software as a service solution that has delivered staff lateral flow self-testing to tens of thousands of front-line workers and provided valuable reporting for NHS clients as well as delivering a vaccination bank of workers using our cloud-based workforce platform to help the vaccine roll out. We developed a COVID hub on our website to share best practice, useful guides/trusted expertise to help NHS organisations navigate the coronavirus pandemic. We wanted to ensure that organisations could obtain the support it needed quickly and in one place, by compiling a range of FAQs taken from clients, relevant news articles and guidance. COVID update webinars have been offered free of charge to clients/non-clients. Liaison is innovative, as the demands of the NHS change, we change the way we work to deliver a service that is better suited for the future. Liaison was able to review its operating activities, making significant changes reducing the need for face to face meetings. The closure of our offices has allowed all workers to work from home, removing all commuting. We encourage both internal/external meetings to be ran virtually using digital technology. Liaison continue to work closely with our clients, providing support/additional benefits helping to aid the recovery of local communities/economies, through employment, training, guidance, advice, consultancy, community support, developing new ways of working/supporting the health of those affected by covid within the business and clients workforce.

  Tackling economic inequality

  Liaison continually upskill all employees through service specific training sessions/ contract reviews/milestone tracking, obtaining feedback around ease of access, including inequality/modern poverty, allowing alternative access options where needed. We continually undertake market analysis to understand customer needs/measure performance through KPIs/SLAs. We upskill employees through comprehensive induction and ongoing formal/informal training/development programmes. Compulsory ISO27001 training is provided, ensuring data handling aligned to best practice guidelines. We have partnered with Thrive, providing us with a reporting platform to manage/evidence social value activities against the social value model award criteria in a clear/ quantifiable way. Prioritising workforce upskilling, increasing average workforce skill level through: o Workshops o Reviews o Self-assessments o Liaison Academy (our staff training portal) o Steer your Career initiative, allowing our workforce to take ownership of their career o External webinars covering VAT submission, effective workforce transformation through task management etc. • Recruiting locally, allocating our workforce based on location and local knowledge, ensuring we are responsive to our clients’ needs We encourage equality, diversity and inclusion amongst employees, with a workforce truly representative of society. Selection for employment, promotion and training is based on aptitude/ ability in accordance with our equal opportunities/ harassment/ bullying policy. We provide bias training, ensuring indiscriminate selection. We use job/skillset criteria to select candidates and use non-biased/discriminatory language/neutral wording in job adverts. Individuals with specific protected characteristics underrepresented within the business/with different needs or have historically been disadvantage in employment are targeted for employment/training opportunities. All employees are offered training/development opportunities, enabling them to realise their potential, professionally and personally. Our staff continuously complete online training, enhancing skills, ensuring they are up-to-date with best practice guidelines/ addressing knowledge gaps. Liaison are signed up to the Social Mobility Pledge, committing to outreach/access /recruitment, putting social mobility/equality of opportunity at the heart of our recruitment.

  Equal opportunity

  Equal Opportunities Liaison believes that equality and diversity in the workplace is socially, ethically and morally desirable and that discrimination is not acceptable in any form. Equality and diversity means that all individual staff will be valued and will be supported in fulfilling their potential and that the culture of the company will value the difference that individuals bring to work. Examples of Company policies: • Equality, diversity and inclusion • Harassment and Bullying sets out our endeavours to be diverse along many dimensions and the responsibilities of both managers and employees in achieving this. Our diversity encompasses differences in ethnicity, gender, language, age, sexual orientation, religion, marital or civil partnership status, cultural background, socio-economic status, physical and mental ability, experience and education. In support of our aim to provide equality and diversity at work, we aim not to discriminate directly or indirectly by ensuring that; • No employee or prospective employee, client or candidate will receive less favourable treatment than another as a result of direct or indirect discrimination, or discrimination by perception or association. • No employee or prospective employee, client or candidate will be placed at a disadvantage by requirements or conditions of a post which unfairly discriminate against them. • All managers will develop and practice the concept of equality and diversity in the application of conditions of service, recruitment, training and promotion opportunities.

  Wellbeing

  Liaison has developed an employee Wellbeing Policy to manage its obligations to maintain the mental health and wellbeing of all staff. It covers the organisation's commitment to employee health, the responsibilities of managers and others for maintaining psychological health, health promotion initiatives, communicating and training on health issues, the range of support available for the maintenance of mental health, and organisational commitment to handling individual issues. These also include polices on the following subject matters mentioned: • Supporting staff experiencing domestic violence • Adoption leave • Adverse weather • Fertility treatment • Flexible working • Homeworking • Menopause • Miscarriage and stillbirth • Parental Bereavement • Parental Leave • Paternal Leave • Shared Parental Leave • Sabbatical Leave • Short-term temporary working oversees • Volunteering • Working flexibly We continue to develop and run a range of health promotion initiatives designed to raise awareness of health and lifestyle issues affecting mental health and wellbeing. The programmes cover: stress management; disability awareness; bullying and harassment; handling violence and traumatic incidents at work; lifestyle behaviours. Examples of health measures implemented include: • Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme • The introduction of Mental Health First Aiders • Procedures for reporting and handling inappropriate behaviour (for example bullying and harassment) • Methods in place to measure staff physical and mental health and wellbeing engagement over time and adapt to any changes in the results • Subsidised gym membership and discounts • Health insurance • Opportunities for flexible and agile working • Encourage exercise/regular social events to boost staff health, teamwork and mental wellbeing, such as lunchtime walking clubs or ‘coffee roulette’ where staff take time out of their day to chat with another staff member and are reimbursed for their costa coffee (for example). Employees state these simple activities enhance morale and increase productivity.

Pricing

• Price: £0 a transaction
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• Free trial available: No

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at bidsteam@liaisongroup.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.