Securing expertise with welfare benefits

Published: 16.10.13 Published in the magazine “Jobb & Næring”, 26.10.13 by Elin Tollevik Gravik The Ølen-based company, Omega, uses extensive resources to take care of their employees. Omega’s philosophy is that happy employees are long-standing employees and that such actions contribute to market Omega to both clients and potential employees. The welfare program, Advantage, is extensive, including teambuildings, holiday houses, concerts and sporting events. Omega is a consultancy company, providing software and personnel to the oil and energy industry. Since Omega was founded, 25 years ago, the company has chosen not to use recourses on traditional marketing activities. Instead they make an effort to ensure clients and employees are so satisfied that marketing occurs organically. In 2012, the company had 1.28 billion in turnover. Today, Omega has 1090 employees working in more than 15 countries. Five hundred of these team members are on assignment in Rogaland, and 250 are employed in Haugalandet, with clients such as Statoil, Aibel, Gassco and Westcon. Tough competition

Omega´s consultants work mainly in the oil and energy sector. Terje Aarekol, one of the Department Managers for consultancy services, does not hide the fact that they are competing for expertise in a business where employees are used to favourable conditions. “There is high demand for skilled people with a lot of experience. We need to not just match our competitors’ offers, but better them. When offering a total package, it is important to have exciting clients and assignments, as well as a competitive salary,” Aarekol says. In addition to this, Omega has put a lot of effort into their welfare program. On their Internet pages, details of teambuildings, events and offers are open to be read by anyone who is interested. The company says that its decision to speak openly about all of the welfare benefits offered to employees is a conscious choice. “It shows those who are interested in a job with Omega, what we have to offer and it is also a part of our open company culture. All of our employees have full access to see the offers we have, no matter where in the world they work,” Aarekol says. With employees spread all over the world, working on various projects, the welfare program contributes to a sense of affiliation to Omega. “Many consultants are working on projects with our clients that span several year; they become a part of the working environment where they are assigned, whilst also being our employees. Gathering for teambuildings and enjoying experiences together is a great way of solidifying our team and bring together employees who normally do not have many meeting points”, Aarekol says. Important co-workers

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Omega’s Communications Manager, Lauren McPherson Simonsen, points out that these teambuildings provide a good opportunity to build a common culture across the entire organization, whilst also offering employees something extra. “We always say that our employees are our most important clients. We are a company that is largely run by our employees and by their expertise and initiatives. Many of our projects are built on a ‘big idea’ from an Omega team member”, McPherson Simonsen says. For instance, many of the company’s international offices have been established based on the initiatives of team members, who have lead the processes and run the offices. Ironman and Svalbard Omega’s welfare program is based on points saved up by each employee that can be used to book welfare benefits on their web pages. The pages display and up-to-date visual of the offers that are available and how many points the user has available. Omega employees have run marathons in Tromsø, participated in Ironman and the Birkebeinerrennet ski race. Advantage has also offered concert tickets to Robbie Williams and Iron Maiden and teambuildings to destinations such as Svalbard, Italy, Istanbul and St. Petersburg. In addition, there are also 27 holiday accommodation options, all over the world, available to employees. “Those who have points in their Advantage account can choose which offer they want to use them on. For us, it is important that each and every individual can choose the offer that suits them best. We are all in different situations and phases of life and while some people appreciate taking their family to one of our holiday houses, others may prefer a teambuilding to an exciting destination,” says McPherson Simonsen. She says that all employees receive a start-up pack with points when they join Omega, followed by a monthly sum of points as long as they are employed in Omega. “The offers are made available to everyone in Omega at the same time and one of the key principles of Advantage is that it offers the same opportunities to all employees and the same access to points.” Hand-picked destinations Aslaug Nesheim is responsible for the administration and facilitation of the Advantage program and, as one of three employees at Omega headquarters concentrating on Advantage, she spends a large part of her workday on the welfare program. “The employees also contribute to develop the program, suggesting destinations for our teambuildings and letting us know which events we should offer,” says Nesheim. There is a lot of excitement around the teambuildings and events presented in the program. The teambuilings are very popular and Nesheim says there is lot of work put into making them successful. Sometimes she visits the destinations beforehand to test the hotels, restaurants and experiences. The principle of “first come, first served” is practiced for those who wish to sign up. “We always ensure we inform our people when the teambuildings open for sign up. We open them at a time of day when we are sure that all employees, no matter where they are in the world, have the opportunity to sign up,” says Nesheim. For particularly popular trips, those who are interested sit by their PC waiting for the teambuilding to open. For example, the teambuildings to Svalbard have been very popular and last year’s trip was fully booked in under a minute; this makes the trips a talking point among employees before they travel and after they return. “Naturally, you have a lot to talk about during lunch after teambuildings such as this and our consultants go out to their workplaces and tell people about the experiences they have had with Omega. There is a lot of good marketing in that”, says Aarekol, smiling.