Barclays Corporate & Employer Solutions (C&ES) has recently completed work with Jenkinsons Caterers to auto enrol its staff into a workplace pension scheme for the first time.
Jenkinsons Caterers is an independent, family-run business based in Stafford employing approximately 360 members of staff. It caters for a range of events including weddings, conferences and business events.
Like many catering businesses, Jenkinsons is predominantly a seasonal business, with revenue peaks over holiday periods and during the wedding season. Furthermore, a number of Jenkinsons’ employees are young people and students, often employed on short-term or temporary contacts. This meant the company faced a number of difficulties when it came to finding a suitable pensions provider for auto enrolment to ensure the needs of their dynamic workforce were met.
Additionally, it was vital that any auto enrolment solution would be seen as appealing by Jenkinsons’ employees and act as a draw to help the company attract and retain top talent.
By undertaking an analysis of the options available and consultation across the business to determine the most appropriate types of scheme available, Barclays C&ES helped Jenkinsons to select a suitable scheme. This approach ensured Jenkinsons became compliant with a cost-effective auto enrolment solution.
James Brammeld, Financial Director at Jenkinsons Caterers said: “We were very concerned about the administration implications that auto enrolment might have on the business, and there was some uncertainty as to whether a traditional provider could help us given the seasonal nature of our workforce. However with the support from Barclays C&ES we were able to stage without a hitch and the solution itself was very well received internally. Barclays C&ES helped us establish an affordable, practical and manageable pension scheme solution, which now gives us the confidence to offer this as an additional reason for potential employees to choose Jenkinsons as their employer.”
Grant Hughes, Head of SME at Barclays C&ES said: “For seasonal businesses such as Jenkinsons, it can be very difficult to find appropriate solutions that not only suit the business needs of the company but can act as a recruitment and retention tool to ensure the company is able to source and retain the very best talent.
“When it comes to auto enrolment there is no one size fits all situation. With our specialist knowledge we, at Barclays C&ES, can guide clients towards the most appropriate solution for them, be it a digitised portal for those that need more basic support or a bespoke solution such as we provided here for Jenkinsons.”
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