Overlooked your Chambers' hidden value?

Chamber Patron NIS tell how they had been missing out on all of the benefits of being a part of Hertfordshire Chamber, read their case study below:

"Like many SME's we have had our fair share of recruitment issues, with positions vacant for over a year despite using the services of specialist agents and Linkedin.

Potential risks with staff retention remain our other challenge. In an industry plagued with global skill shortages, salary increases only focus employees over the short-term. Introducing a tangible benefits package presented the usual budgetary constraints.

NIS joined the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce to increase awareness of our brand and gain a better understanding of the challenges for local business. However, we had completely overlooked the wide ranging benefits which came with our membership. We were also surprised at the competitive cost of providing a comprehensive AXA health scheme after applying the Chamber membership discounts. For example, a 20 year old can join the scheme for about £10 per month, someone aged 60 for around £25 per month, and all siblings under the age of 30 can be added with just one fee for the first child at around 50% of these values.

In addition, all employees received a 50% PureGym membership, which has worked well as a team building exercise after work. The whole of our management team were given comprehensive health check visits. Most surprisingly, a 50% discount on the renewal of our Chamber membership covered a significant proportion of our overall expenditure. We look forward to an improvement in productivity and peace of mind for our staff following any serious illness.

Ironically, I had not seen the Doctor for over 27 years but shortly after introducing the AXA scheme, I ended up with what felt like a life-threatening issue comprising of constant and agonising stomach pains with significant weight loss resulting in the reduction of my waist by about 8 inches within 2 months. It was a worrying time which prompted a review of my Will!

Sadly, the 3 month NHS Specialist waiting list was concerning, however my AXA policy kicked in extremely quickly. I was given access to a list of Specialists throughout the country, with details of their credentials and educational history. Within about 15 minutes of seeing the Professor on Christmas Eve, I was reassured my condition was not serious and would self-heal in time; after a few days the scan confirmed his diagnosis. This was quite a relief and my New Year's resolution didn't feature weight loss on this occasion!"

Mustaq Chandia, Director, Network Integrity Services Ltd.

AXA PPP Healthcare; Small Business Healthcare Cover

At AXA PPP Healthcare, our small business healthcare cover aims to get small business owners and their teams back to health and back to work as soon as possible by providing them with prompt access to eligible treatment in a private hospital.

Should Chamber of Commerce members wish to take out a healthcare cover plan with us, they will also receive:

• 50% off their Chamber of Commerce membership for three years*
• Free access to our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme for all employees, regardless of whether they're covered on the plan. This gives employees' access to a trained counsellor over the phone, 24/7, 365 days a year.
• 50% off annual PureGym membership for the whole team, not just those covered by the plan**

Find out more about our exclusive offers for Chamber of Commerce members here

*This offer is only available to members of participating Chambers

*This offer is only available to direct new customers of AXA PPP healthcare only.

*50% off Chamber membership is up to value of £125 per employee you cover each year.

*50% off Chamber membership can be claimed each year for up to three years as long as a current business healthcare plan remains in force on a direct basis.

*AXA PPP Healthcare reserves the right to change or remove this special offer at any time.

**Read the full terms and conditions here