Leading employee benefits provider Unum UK has introduced an electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for its 800+ permanent UK employees.  

Jane Hulme, HR director at Unum UK

The announcement coincides with Earth Day and forms part of the company’s ongoing efforts to reduce its environmental impact and become a more responsible and sustainable business. 

Its new salary sacrifice scheme has been introduced in partnership with Octopus Electric Vehicles through its Electric Dreams programme and is available to all permanent UK employees at Unum.  

Staff can choose from a wide range of EV models with no upfront payment on a 24-, 36- or 48-month lease period. They get a yearly mileage allowance for up to 30,000 miles and help to choose the right car from a team of EV experts, who’ll also help pair them with the right charger and energy tariff. 

By switching to a fully electric car, employees will also benefit from low running costs, free parking in some car parks and no Congestion Charge. 

The scheme supports the company’s overarching work to create a more sustainable future for colleagues, customers and communities by supporting the global effort to keep the temperature increase this century below 1.5°C. 

As staff return to the office, Unum has also increased its Cycle2Work limit through Evans Cycles, helping staff to reach the office in an environmentally friendly manner. Employees can spend the allowance on a new bike, clothing and equipment coupled with savings on tax and National Insurance on the benefit. 

Unum UK also enables employees to support climate action by choosing to offset all or some of their personal carbon footprint by subscribing to Ecologi to fund tree planting and carbon reduction projects both in the UK and around the world.  

Donations from Unum UK employees has seen the employee benefits provider already plant more than 8,000 trees in the ‘Unum forest’ and offset more than 30 tonnes of CO2e – the same as 23 long haul flights or more than 75,000 miles driven in a car with an internal combustion engine.  

Jane Hulme, HR director, said: “As a purpose-led and values-driven employee benefits provider, Unum is committed to reducing our impact on the planet and playing our part in the fight against climate change. With responsible benefits like the electric vehicle scheme, carbon offsetting and Cycle2Work, we’re also proud to help our employees make informed choices about their own carbon footprint and environmental impact to help limit climate change.”