All articles by Amanda Wilkinson – Page 3
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Article
Amanda Wilkinson, editor, Employee Benefits
Paternalism is a concept that few employers in this modern age of HR wish to be associated with. Many benefits practitioners perceive that the term means dictating to employees about what perks are best for them without paying regard to individual needs. They also fear it gives the impression that ...
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Interview with Richard Higginson reward manager at Towry Law
A series of accidents have led to Richard Higginson, reward manager at Towry Law, ending up as a compensation and reward specialist.A career in international banking was shelved in favour of a more alluring degree in Spanish and French, then a desire to edit the Sunday Times’ magazine supplement was ...
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HR Show: Employers should review their values to attract young talent
Employers were told that they would have to revise the employment experience and their contractual terms in order to attract and retain young talent at the opening keynote session of the HR Show in Manchester. Speaking in the session, Using your brand as a tool to attract the best people, ...
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Amanda Wilkinson: editor of Employee Benefits
The credit crunch, recent turmoil in the markets, and the general economic slowdown are causing many organisations to take stock.Although the UK economy has yet to fall into a recession there are worrying signs that all is not well. Last month's Budget saw Alistair Darling cut growth forecasts and increase ...
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Stagecoach staff in GBP15.1m payout under sharesave scheme
Stagecoach Group employees are to share in a £15.1m payout under its 2005 sharesave (save-as-you-earn) scheme, which matured yesterday.More than 2,400 bus and rail drivers, engineers and other workers will share in the windfall. They will, on average, receive around £6,300, providing them each with gains of more than £3,600 ...
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New crisis looms for final salary pensions
Final salary pension schemes could face a new crisis if proposals relating to the calculation of funding levels get the go ahead, warns Aon Consulting.The firm of consultants claims that although the 200 largest UK privately-sponsored final salary pension schemes moved into a surplus at the end of February the ...
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Amanda Wilkinson: editor of Employee Benefits
Amanda Wilkinson: editor of Employee Benefits: Pensions is the one benefit that employers are constantly having to review, either out of economic or legislative necessity.The perk may not be a direct responsibility, but all benefits and compensation experts should keep abreast of the options facing their organisation as they may ...
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Buyers guide to Critical illness
Critical illness insurance can act as a safety net for a workforce, but employers must decide how best to offer it to staff, says Amanda WilkinsonCritical illness cover is pretty simple on the face of it. It is a lump sum benefit that is paid out by the insurer to ...
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Free financial advice service unveiled
The blueprint for a national free financial advice service has been set out in the final report of the Thoresen Review of Generic Financial Advice, published today.This includes an emphasis on the workplace as an avenue for delivering financial advice.The report recommends that a national money guidance service is put ...
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Demonstrate benefits' return to justify spend to finance teams
Amanda Wilkinson, editor of Employee Benefits: Benefits and HR practitioners planning to introduce new perks this year would do well to work out the possible return on investment before going cap in hand to the finance director for more cash.With the economic outlook uncertain and many experts saying that the ...
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How the EU scores on harmonisation
The harmonisation of employee benefits across borders may sound straightforward in theory but, in practice, it is an enormous challenge fraught with legislative, fiscal and cultural hurdles.Yet more organisations are trying to develop a standard employee benefits strategy internationally, across regions or the globe. Robin Chater, secretary-general of The Federation ...
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FSA targets teachers with workplace financial education initiative
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has teamed up with the National Union of Teachers (NUT) to send out booklets containing financial tips to union members as part of its workplace financial education programme.The FSA booklet has been co-branded with the NUT and been distributed to 365,000 teachers as an insert ...
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Ensure your benefits strategy lives up to ethical expectations
Amanda Wilkinson, editor, Employee Benefits: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not simply about having a heart of gold. Many organisations have adopted a CSR strategy because it can help to deliver business benefits.By building a reputation for operating in an ethical manner that takes into account the wellbeing of the ...
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Case Studies
Employer profile: Cancer Research UK
Charity Cancer Research UK uses total reward to make the most of what it has to offer in the war for talent, says Amanda WilkinsonWorking for a worthy cause certainly has its appeal. However, charities are unable to rely solely on the desire of people to give something back to ...
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PPF raises level of funding level required for schemes to avoid levy
The Pensions Protection Fund has raised the funding level required for schemes to escape having to pay its risk-based levy to 140%, from 125%.PPF chairman, Lawrence Churchill, said: “We recognise with these changes that even well-funded schemes pose long-term risks to the PPF.”The PPF estimates that it needs to collect ...
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Welfare Reform Act prompts review of group income protection
The majority of employers are expected to review their group income protection (GIP) plans as a result of the new Welfare Reform Act.Research from Watson Wyatt has revealed that 87% of employers said the Act, which comes into force in October next year, will force them to review their current ...
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New tougher disability tests for long-term sick
The government has unveiled new tougher disability tests in a bid to cut the number of people claiming incapacity benefit as part of its welfare reforms.The number claiming incapacity benefits has risen over the last ten years to 2.7m, while the number of unemployed has halved.The government hopes the new ...
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It's time the industry put its views across to be counted
Amanda Wilkinson, editor, Employee Benefits: Tax-friendly perks could soon become a thing of the past if the government continues with its apparent clampdown on taxation rules that benefit employees, unless employers make a stand.The warning shot was fired last year when the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, suddenly ...
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Interview with Melanie Morris: head of reward and performance management at Abbey
Working to tight timeframes and budgets helps to focus a benefits strategy, says Melanie Morris, head of reward and performance management at AbbeyStints at a string of blue-chip companies, including Xerox, Kraft and BT, have equipped Melanie Morris with the necessary skills to face one of the biggest challenges of ...