All articles by Alison Coleman – Page 5
-
Case StudiesFat Llama creates positive community with a low-cost benefits offering
Launched in November 2016, Fat Llama is an insurance-backed marketplace for lending and borrowing belongings. The organisation employs 45 staff members in London and New York who benefit from some unusual but highly prized employee benefits, including weekly communal meals and a monthly allowance.Chaz Englander, chief executive officer at Fat ...
-
AnalysisHow can benefits technology promote a more inclusive workplace?
Need to know:Benefits technology should be fully accessible to every employee, no matter their personal situation, in order to promote an inclusive working environment.Technology allows for greater inclusion by reaching a wide range of ages, demographics and remote staff, including those with disabilities who may find standard communication tools difficult ...
-
Case StudiesAtos uses engagement hub to offer tailored benefits to diverse workforce
IT services provider Atos has 9,000-plus employees working in more than 200 locations, and its workforce features a broad age range and a diverse mix of backgrounds. In addition, around 40% of its employees are site-based or home-based, 10% work offline, and 400 are overseas, so implementing an inclusive reward ...
-
Case StudiesAssurant offers healthcare support as part of mental wellbeing strategy
Assurant is a global provider of risk management solutions, with 15,000 employees. Across Europe, Assurant has 1,300 employees, of which 1,100 are based in the UK. The organisation’s mental wellbeing strategy ensures that its employees have prompt access to healthcare and support and, importantly, is woven within its overall employee ...
-
AnalysisThe role of group risk benefits in a mental wellbeing strategy
Need to knowMental health is often the number one reason for claims under group income protection.Many of these can be prevented through proactive and early intervention.Offered in conjunction with comprehensive early intervention services, EAPs can provide employees with access to the vital support they need.Mental wellbeing in the workplace is ...
-
OpinionSally Wilson: Simple nudges can encourage employees to look after their own health and wellbeing
There are several relatively simple steps employers can take to address wellbeing at work with the potential to reduce claims related to ill health.For musculoskeletal (MSK) health, getting the basics right is essential and display screen equipment (DSE) assessment is an important example of this. Flexible working requires a re-think ...
-
Case StudiesOracle proactively supports its employees’ wellbeing with line manager support service
Technology organisation Oracle offers group income protection as a core employee benefit. In 2016, it introduced a dedicated service, branded Swift and provided by Unum, which enables line managers to support the wellbeing of employees.Michelle Bradshaw, compensation and benefits director, explains: “Line managers are often the first point of contact ...
-
AnalysisThe impact of early intervention services on group income protection claims
Need to knowWorkplace health and wellbeing strategies that incorporate early intervention services can improve employee health and reduce absence costs.Providing access to fast and confidential advice, support and treatment services at the earliest stage of a health problem reduces both the likelihood of a long-term absence from work, and the ...
-
AnalysisHow can employers help with employees' everyday healthcare needs?
Need to knowEmployers that provide support with routine health needs are likely to see returns through reduced absence and increased employee engagement.Health cash plans have grown in popularity as a means of helping employees with the costs of routine healthcare because they are affordable and cover a range of benefits.Poor ...
-
Case StudiesOffice Genie brings employee eye health to the workplace
As part of its employee wellbeing programme, office space provider Office Genie has started offering in-house eye tests, with two local opticians setting up shop in the organisation's meeting room.Sarah Sutton, head of people development, says: “Working online, we spend most of our day staring at a computer screen so ...
-
ArticleBuyer's guide to points-based recognition schemes
The factsWhat are points-based recognition schemes?These are platform-based schemes that enable staff to collect points that can be exchanged for rewards. Employees have secure access to an online portal where they can redeem their points for their chosen reward.What are the origins of points-based recognition schemes?Rapid advances in technology have ...
-
OpinionColin Jackson: Payroll – do it yourself or outsource?
Paying staff accurately and on time every time requires a deep understanding of complex legislation and that, in turn, requires investment. For many organisations, the questions are: should that investment be in-house or is it cost-beneficial to outsource? Should all processes be outsourced or just some of them?Before an employer ...
-
AnalysisWhat are the pros and cons of payroll outsourcing?
Need to knowThe costs of payroll outsourcing can be outweighed by the timesaving efficiencies it creates, which allow employers and staff to focus on other areas of business operations.Pensions auto-enrolment can create its own payroll challenges, with fluctuating eligibility among employees on variable pay. Outsourcing payroll can help employers overcome ...
-
Case StudiesAce Work Gear sees benefit of outsourcing payroll
Construction safety workwear organisation Ace Work Gear outsourced its payroll two years ago. The Fife-based firm employs 12 members of staff, many of who work remotely. It is a move that would suit any employer that has to deal with complicated payroll structures, says Sam Williamson, co-founder of Ace Work ...
-
ArticleBuyer's guide to corporate gym membership
The facts:What is corporate gym membership?This can be offered to staff by their employers on a paid-for or discounted basis, providing access to a gym, health club, leisure or sports centre, or even exercise classes, as part of a voluntary or flexible benefits package.Where can employers get more information?Visit the ...
-
ArticleHow to best educate staff about group risk benefits
Need to knowEmployee benefits communication strategies should focus as much on the value of group risk provision as they do on workplace benefits such as pension schemes.A poor grasp of the financial implications of long-term sickness absence among staff has made income protection cover an increasingly important group risk benefit.Employees ...
-
Case StudiesReed Smith boosts engagement with workplace Isa
International law firm Reed Smith introduced a workplace individual savings account (Isa) in 2012, launching the scheme alongside its auto-enrolment roll-out as a way of boosting staff engagement with the new pension scheme.Claire Gibbens, HR manager, says: “We had just signed up with a new provider, Hargreaves Lansdown, and [it] ...
-
AnalysisWhat role do individual savings accounts play in a workplace savings strategy?
Need to knowReductions in pensions savings limits could make workplace individual savings accounts (Isas) an attractive savings vehicle for those contributions previously made to a workplace pension.Targeted at younger members of the workforce, the launch of the lifetime Isa (Lisa) next April could prove to be a catalyst for engaging ...
-
Case StudiesOracle uses group risk data to inform wellbeing strategy
At technology firm Oracle, the use of data is key to enhancing group risk provision for the organisation and boosting the benefits and workplace wellbeing strategy for its UK employees.Michelle Bradshaw, compensation and benefits director UK, Ireland and Israel, says: “The data that can be drawn from things [such as] ...
-
AnalysisHow can data from group risk products help form a strategy?
Need to know:Data can be used for internal and external benchmarking, which can identify strengths and weaknesses in a group risk strategy.Line management training in workplace wellbeing is key to accurate sickness absence data reporting and analysis.A collaborative and integrated approach to data analysis, involving all group risk providers, will ...