Based in Brussels, Claeys & Engels are a specialist law firm that brings a comprehensive range of legal services in all areas relating to staff policy. In the field of Compensation & Benefits, Claeys & Engels deals with all legal aspects surrounding pay and other benefits, whilst also offering consultancy services on how to optimise pay packages.
Broader range
Claeys & Engels previously worked with a different partner for their company cars, only to find that the selection of cars on offer was confined to just a number of makes. Acting in response to the increasing demands from its employees for greater freedom of choice, five years ago the law firm set out to find a supplier capable of offering a broader range of car makes. Enter LeasePlan.
Late last year, Claeys & Engels decided to take a more creative approach to their pay policy. In doing so, a palette of benefits was devised for the administrative staff, including the option of going for a company car, including a fuel card. Here too, LeasePlan was called upon to look into what could be done, as awarding a lease car to employees of any given organisation is closely in keeping with LeasePlan’s Talent Plan & Salary Plan.
Lease cars as a way of attracting new talent
It is becoming increasingly more of a challenge to attract the right kind of candidates and - once they have been recruited – to secure their loyalty to the organisation for a long period of time. This also applies to Claeys & Engels, especially as they require trilingual staff (Dutch, French and English). The majority of Claeys & Engels’ employees are assistants who have a solid command of all three languages, both verbally and in writing. Profiles like these are increasingly harder to find. Quite a few companies are scouring the labour market for this type of candidates, which only fuels the competitive rivalry among businesses for talent.
Claeys & Engels conducted an analysis of ‘Compensation and Benefits’, as it is not just the salary in itself, but also the fringe benefits that are important to potential employees. This also prompted the idea to open up the availability of company cars to all administrative staff. As part of this plan, Claeys & Engels went with the Mini and the Renault Scenic. “The Mini turned out to be an important tool for us. Because of its young and trendy nature, the Mini is a perfect match with the youthful age of a considerable number of employees. Although the firm is also home to over 50s who are keen on driving a Mini, I hasten to add”, explains Claeys & Engels’ HR Manager Annette Wilmes.
As part of this drive, 17 staff already expressed their interest in this car package, with 12 Minis and 5 Renault Scenics recently delivered. Other employees are expected to follow suit in the near future.
Enabling workers to go for a company car has made the Claeys & Engels law firm into a trendsetter. “Awarding all members of administrative staff a company car is anything but customary”, Annette Wilmes concludes.
