TAILOR-MADE staff benefit schemes should be offered to employees in place of traditional benefits packages. Off-the-shelf schemes are often undervalued by employees and expensive for employers to provide. That's the message from Don Sutherland, head of Arthur Andersen and Garretts Human Capital Services in the North West.

And he will head a team of experts outlining advantages of flexible benefits at a free seminar for employers and human resource professionals at the Holiday Inn in Manchester this month.

Mr Sutherland explained these schemes were the ideal way for companies to link reward policies and business strategies while adapting to the changing needs of individual employees.

"Flexible benefits offer employees a choice from a "menu" including cars, life assurance, extra holiday, help with childcare costs, retail vouchers and even financial counselling," he said.

This approach is already offered by a number of UK companies in industries as diverse as manufacturing, retail, media and financial services and indications are that it will become increasingly popular in the future.

Arthur Andersen and Garretts have developed an advanced flexible benefits package known as Flex which is designed to be introduced and administered with the minimum of effort.

Garretts employment law expert Paula Cole commented: "The Flex package includes ongoing advice on how to manage the many legal implications of introducing flexible benefits, such as contractual arrangements, ensuring equal treatment of part-time workers, variation of contracts following business mergers and acquisition, and statutory holiday rights which will be introduced by the new Working Time Directive."

THE Flex system will be presented at the seminar on Thursday 25 June, from 9am to 1pm. For more information or to book a place contact Tracey Hogg at Arthur Andersen on 0161-200-0256.

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