Customer Success: 
Saffron Building Society

Saffron Building Society is a mutual organisation dedicated to providing savings and mortgage solutions to its members. With a strong focus on people, the organisation prides itself on delivering exceptional employee experience. 

As part of this commitment, Saffron’s People Team is always looking for ways to make life easier and more engaging for employees. Their journey with Access began with PeopleHR in 2020, adding Access LMS to their offering in 2023. As their needs evolved, Saffron saw an opportunity to take things further, bringing employee benefits into the same seamless experience. 

Saffron Building Society has always offered a great range of benefits to its colleagues. However, without a centralised platform, employees often struggled to understand what was available to them.  

Feedback from new starters and existing colleagues revealed uncertainty around the benefits package, highlighting the need for a modern, engaging solution that could bring everything together in one place; a true ‘one-stop shop’ for employee benefits. 

Having already partnered with Access for PeopleHR and their Learning Management System (LMS), Saffron Building Society saw the value in choosing Salary Extras and Applause for their benefits needs. The seamless integration with PeopleHR was a key factor in the decision, ensuring consistency and a unified experience across all systems. This approach meant colleagues could access everything they needed without disruption or complexity. 

The connection between PeopleHR and the benefits platform has brought meaningful improvements to how Saffron manages employee perks. While some manual tasks remain, the automatic data sync has helped streamline certain processes. Most notably, the employee experience has significantly improved: colleagues can now explore and apply for their own benefits directly, without needing to contact HR, making access quicker and more intuitive. 

“The integration between PeopleHR and the benefits platform has transformed how we manage perks, everything is now in one place and effortless for our colleagues.” Olivia Bell,  People Administrator at Saffron Building Society 

The implementation process was smooth and well-supported. After initial calls, Saffron worked closely with Access People SMB Solution Delivery Team Manager, Kate Palmer, who provided proactive, responsive assistance throughout. 

Dan Harrison, Principal consultant at Access People SMB also played a crucial role, offering expert knowledge and guidance. His responsiveness and clarity ensured the team felt confident and supported every step of the way. 

“Nothing was ever too much for Kate or Dan—they were brilliant,” said Olivia. 

Since launching the integrated benefits platform, Saffron Building Society has achieved exactly what they set out to do, make benefits simple, accessible, and engaging. Employees now have a single, easy-to-use hub where they can explore everything on offer, helping them feel more informed and valued. 

Behind the scenes, automation has removed manual admin tasks, freeing up time for the People Team to focus on what matters most: supporting colleagues and enhancing the overall employee experience. The consistency across systems has also strengthened Saffron’s commitment to delivering a seamless digital journey for its workforce. 

Discover how PeopleHR and our integrated benefits platform can help you create a better employee experience.