Support for the people who keep public services running
A council or public body employs social workers, refuse crews, planning officers, leisure staff and customer service teams, as well as many other job roles. Benefits only help if each of those groups knows what’s available and can access it, whether they’re at a desk or out on a round.
We bring together health and wellbeing, financial support, everyday benefits and recognition to help people working in public services. Our consultants can also visit your sites to explain what’s available face to face, while providing clear reporting and working with your HR and procurement teams to make the process straightforward.
A council or public body employs social workers, refuse crews, planning officers, leisure staff and customer service teams, as well as many other job roles. Benefits only help if each of those groups knows what’s available and can access it, whether they’re at a desk or out on a round.
We bring together health and wellbeing, financial support, everyday benefits and recognition to help people working in public services. Our consultants can also visit your sites to explain what’s available face to face, while providing clear reporting and working with your HR and procurement teams to make the process straightforward.
What makes benefits work in the public sector
-
Clinically led mental health support, delivered by UK qualified therapists
-
One relationship and one point of accountability across every staff group
-
Reporting written for committees and scrutiny, with clear commentary
What we see in the public sector
Absence is consistently higher in the public sector
ONS figures for 2025 show that sickness absence in the public sector was 2.9%, compared with 1.7% in the private sector. The gap has been present for many years, partly reflecting differences in the types of work people do.
When someone is unwell, it affects them personally and can put additional pressure on colleagues covering their work. With budgets already stretched and growing demands on public services, helping people access appropriate support earlier is particularly important.
Making the most of limited budgets
Public sector organisations face difficult decisions about where their budgets are spent, often with little flexibility to increase spending during the year.
That makes it important to understand the different needs of staff and choose benefits they’ll find useful and can easily access. Clear costs, straightforward implementation and reporting on how benefits are being used can help public bodies assess the value of their investment and demonstrate that public money is being spent responsibly.
Many staff don’t work at a desk
A large part of a council’s workforce is out on rounds, in care settings, at depots or in leisure centres, often working shifts. Many don’t have regular access to a computer or work email.
That makes it harder to ensure everyone knows what support is available and how to access it. Benefits need to work on personal phones, with clear communications and opportunities for face-to-face conversations where these would help people understand what’s available.
Procurement shapes what’s possible
Public sector organisations have established procurement requirements, and understanding these early can help avoid delays or unnecessary work.
We work with HR and procurement teams to understand the purchasing route, provide the information needed and make sure our proposals are clear about costs, services and responsibilities.
The questions we hear most often in the public sector
Public sector employers tend to come to us with the same practical concerns. Most are about absence, reaching very different staff groups and making a decision that will stand up to scrutiny.
How we help
People need different things at different times. For some, it’s getting mental health support without a long wait. For others, it’s help managing their finances when pay increases are limited, or recognition for the work they do in the community. We bring these areas of support together and make them easy for people to find, understand and use.
Health & Wellbeing
Clinically led mental health support, alongside an Employee Assistance Programme, Virtual GP, counselling, occupational health and neurodiversity support. Early occupational health involvement can help identify appropriate support or workplace adjustments before someone’s health affects their ability to work. It can also help plan a return to work following an absence.
Financial Wellbeing
Financial education, debt guidance and coaching, with access to regulated financial advice through Gee 7 Wealth. With pay often determined by national or locally agreed scales, staff may have limited opportunities to increase their earnings, even as household costs rise. Financial wellbeing support can help people manage everyday spending and debt, while also providing guidance on bigger decisions such as mortgages, understanding their public sector pension scheme and planning for retirement.
Everyday Benefits
Savings at more than 1,000 retailers, including major supermarkets, alongside discounted gift cards, cashback, salary sacrifice schemes and on-demand pay. For public sector staff working within fixed pay structures, everyday savings can help household budgets go further. Voluntary benefits, including options such as cycle to work schemes and early access to earned pay, can provide additional support, with costs and eligibility considered alongside the organisation’s budget and existing payroll arrangements.
Insurance & Protection
Group life, critical illness cover and health cash plans can provide additional financial protection and help with healthcare costs. These benefits complement existing public sector pension arrangements, providing additional support for staff and their families if they’re affected by illness or unexpected financial pressures.
Reward & Recognition
People working in public services make an important contribution to their communities, often in roles where their efforts can go unnoticed. Our employee reward and recognition programmes help public sector organisations celebrate long service, acknowledge individual achievements and recognise teams for their work. When pay is set nationally, recognition is something an employer can shape locally. Peer-to-peer recognition also gives colleagues the opportunity to thank each other, whether they work in the same office, at a depot or out in the community.
One Relationship
We work with your HR and procurement teams to understand your organisation and the different needs of your workforce. You’ll have one relationship with My Group, bringing together employee benefits, health and wellbeing, recognition and protection services. Our Portal gives people a central place to find and access their benefits, whether they’re working at a desk, out in the community or at home.
A person, not just a platform
An intranet page can tell people that support exists, but not everyone has the time or opportunity to explore what’s available during their working day. Some may also have questions they’d rather ask someone face to face.
Our consultants can visit your sites, whether that’s a depot, leisure centre or council office, and arrange conversations around different working patterns. For example, reaching a refuse crew might mean visiting at six in the morning rather than expecting them to attend a lunchtime briefing.
These conversations give people the opportunity to ask about eligibility, costs or whether their family can use a particular benefit.
Our consultants can also explain services provided by other suppliers, helping staff understand the full range of support available to them.
Case Study: A Staffordshire Multi-academy Trust
Education | Multi-academy trust, 550 staff across seven schools
Practical support when pay is set nationally
With pay scales fixed and cost of living pressure showing in absence, the Trust needed support that classroom-based staff could use on their phones. Benefits consultants visited schools daily at launch, and a champion in each school kept it going.
Active users up more than 50% quarter on quarter.
What working with us looks like
Changing or introducing benefits shouldn’t create a big project for your team. We keep the process straightforward and are clear about what we need from you at each stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Public sector organisations can purchase employee benefits through relevant procurement frameworks where suitable suppliers and services are available.
My Group works with public sector HR and procurement teams to understand their purchasing requirements, identify the appropriate procurement route and provide the information needed to support a decision.
Where a suitable framework isn’t available, we can also discuss other procurement options in line with your organisation’s requirements and applicable procurement rules.
ONS figures for 2025 show that sickness absence was 2.9% in the public sector, compared with 1.7% in the private sector.
Several factors can help explain the difference, including the types of work undertaken, the physical and emotional demands of certain roles and differences in sick pay arrangements. These can also affect whether people take time off when they’re unwell.
The figures don’t mean public sector employees are less committed to their work. Understanding the reasons for absence and helping people access appropriate support are more useful starting points than focusing on the headline figure alone.
Public sector employers can support staff wellbeing on a fixed budget by focusing spending on the areas where people need the most help and choosing benefits that are affordable to maintain.
Everyday savings and some voluntary benefits can be provided at relatively low employer cost, while more targeted services such as mental health support and occupational health can be planned around the available budget.
My Group works with employers to understand their workforce, agree priorities and provide clear costs before services are introduced, helping avoid unexpected expenditure.
Yes. One employee benefits package can support people working in very different roles, provided the benefits are relevant and staff can access them in ways that suit their working patterns.
Office-based employees, social workers, refuse crews, leisure staff and people working in care settings may all have different needs and ways of receiving information.
My Group helps employers communicate benefits through digital access, printed materials, manager briefings and face-to-face sessions where appropriate, so people have opportunities to understand and use the support available.
Public sector pension schemes are an important part of employees’ financial security, and the benefits My Group provides are designed to complement rather than replace them.
We offer additional support covering everyday savings, health and wellbeing, financial wellbeing, recognition and protection.
Some benefits, particularly salary sacrifice arrangements, may affect pensionable pay or contributions depending on the scheme. We’ll work with your team to understand the relevant rules and consider any implications before introducing new benefits.
My Group provides reporting on how employees are using their benefits, alongside commentary to help employers understand what’s working and where further support or communication might be helpful.
Where organisations supply the relevant workforce data, we can also provide reporting by staff group, location or other agreed categories, subject to data protection and reporting requirements.
This gives HR and finance teams useful information when reviewing their benefits offering, assessing value for money and reporting to senior management or scrutiny committees.
Let’s talk about your people
Tell us what your teams are dealing with and we’ll help you work out where support would make the most difference.