Tusker and You at Work in strategic partnership to promote salary sacrifice initiative

Leasing company Tusker and innovative flexible benefits provider You at Work have entered into a strategic partnership to promote a new online and fully automated salary sacrifice scheme, Drive AT WORK™, which makes low cost, low emission cars available to staff who would not normally qualify to receive them.

Under the new arrangement, You at Work , the UK’s largest provider of integrated flexible employee benefit solutions which reaches around 750,000 employees through 300 companies,  will promote the Drive AT WORK™ scheme to new and existing corporate customers within its portfolio of flexible benefit offerings.

Chief executive, Bruce Rayner, said the scheme could help companies who wished to achieve a reduction in their carbon footprint, as it typically promoted cars that emitted less than 120g/km of CO2. This would fit perfectly with other flexible benefits, including subsidised bus travel, tax-free cycles and city centre car parking, that You at Work provided, he added.

“We see Drive AT WORK™ fitting perfectly within our portfolio of flexible benefit solutions to corporate customers, as it increases choice and options for employees. And, from a green perspective, it is very much in line with corporate desires to reduce carbon emissions by promoting low carbon emitting vehicles.

“DriveAT WORK™ will appeal to those staff who are looking for a city run-about, for a second car or for a car for a family member. We will be actively promoting the scheme to new and existing customers,” he said.

Already, You at Work had trialled the scheme amongst its own 70-strong workforce and several staff had taken up the option to surrender some of their salary in favour of a car, he added.

Drive AT WORK™ is based on Tusker’s SalarySacrifice4Cars scheme, which enables an employer to provide their employees with a real and quantifiable benefit at no cost and with little additional administration or risk. It also answers Duty of Care obligations under the new Corporate Manslaughter Act introduced in April 2008 and supports environmental credentials.

Tusker developed its SalarySacrifice4Cars scheme over a 12 month period, and integrated it within its award-winning and highly acclaimed fleet management system, Fleetdesk3.

A salary sacrifice scheme allows an employee to surrender part of their salary under the terms and conditions of their employment in return for an employer’s agreement to provide the employee with a non-cash type benefit. Because the cost of the non-cash type benefit is deducted from the employee's gross salary, before statutory deductions, he or she is able to save income tax and National Insurance contributions.

Tusker managing director David Hosking said: " We are looking forward enormously to working with You at Work, acclaimed as a leading provider of flexible benefits to corporate Britain, to bring the new salary sacrifice scheme to a far wider audience.

“We have had huge interest in it, not just from corporate customers, including some very large fleets, but from accountancy firms and other leasing companies as well,” he added.