All Analysis articles – Page 107
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Analysis
Best practice claims management for group risk perks
Incidences of long-term absence are few and far between, but the way a claim is managed can make a significant difference to the outcome for all concerned.The groundwork for claims management is often put in place long before a claim occurs. Simon Bailey, head of marketing for employee benefits at ...
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Analysis
Providing group risk benefits through flexible benefits plans
No two employees are alike, with family commitments, lifestyle requirements and personal taste making it unlikely all staff will appreciate the same benefits.Flexible benefits schemes address this, allowing employers to offer a range of benefits that employees can pick and choose from to suit their needs and staff to vary ...
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Analysis
The evolution of group risk benefits
Over the last 20 years or so, the working world has changed dramatically. But while staff no longer expect their employer to look after them from the cradle to the grave, group risk benefits have hardly evolved accordingly. Brian Morgan, business development director at Heath Lambert, says: "Many companies have ...
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Analysis
Career development for benefits professionals
Part of the benefits industry's appeal is its diverse and challenging nature, spanning topics from payroll and pensions, to motivation schemes. It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that newcomers to this profession and even those who have worked in reward for years want to continue learning in order to improve ...
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Analysis
Restructuring bonus arrangements
Once seen as an incentive primarily for sales staff, bonuses are now given much more widely to reward everything from attendance and service to performance and company profitability.Duncan Brown, director of HR services at PricewaterhouseCoopers, says: “About 90% of organisations have some form of bonus scheme. Employers like the concept ...
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Analysis
Benefits for staff on short-term placements overseas
A stint working abroad for a multi-national employer is usually regarded as a welcome opportunity by employees. Shorter-term placements overseas can be useful where specific expertise or resources need to be deployed quickly and for a defined period of time, for example, if a project needs to be set up ...
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Analysis
The role of line managers in tackling stress
Allowing stress to take hold among a workforce can be costly in terms of the number of working days lost, reduced employee performance and, in the worst cases, legal action being brought against employers for breaching duty-of-care legislation. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's 2007 Absence Management ...
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Analysis
What does the future hold for group personal pension schemes?
Making the switch from defined benefit (DB) and trust-based defined contribution (DC) pension schemes to contract-based schemes, including group personal pensions (GPPs), is a well-established way for employers to reduce their exposure to risk, as well as the time spent on governance and red tape.For a while earlier this year, ...
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Analysis
Has the role of the fleet manager changed?
The role of the fleet manager was once relatively straightforward. At its most basic level, the job often simply required an organised individual with a good knowledge of cars to source and supply staff with a company vehicle.Changing legislation, increasing cost pressures, and a greater onus on employers' duty of ...
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Analysis
Company car fleets are going green to cut fuel costs
Changing the way company car drivers use their vehicles not only boosts a company's green credentials, but boosts the bottom line, reports Roger CarterBuilding a business case for cutting the carbon footprint of the fleet hasn't always been straightforward. It relies on the idea that corporate social responsibility eventually feeds ...
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Analysis
Cars can be a powerful attractor
Despite environmental concerns, cars are an essential part of many job packages, and pitching the right offer for the role will attract the best candidates, says Sarah ColesWhen sales recruitment firm Aaron Wallis was asked to find candidates for a role that came with a particularly sporty Jaguar there was ...
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Analysis
Engaging younger staff with pensions
Pensions may be one of the last things young employees want to think about, but the right approach can make them see the importance of planning for the future, says Sarah ColesMarketing executives at Gap are specialists in engaging young customers with the company's brand. But the human resources department ...
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Analysis
Justifying the cost of private medical insurance
Private medical insurance helps cut sickness absence, but its cost may prompt employers to ask if they can always justify the expense of offering the perk to all staff, says David WoodsWith sickness absence costing UK businesses more than £103 billion last year, according to Dame Carol Black's report, Review ...
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Analysis
Buyer’s guide to payroll systems
Whether in-house or outsourced, a payroll system must be tailored to meet an employer's needs, says David WoodsEmployees are an expensive resource, so ensuring they are paid correctly and on time is a constant challenge for HR and reward staff.A payroll system automates this process for organisations, calculating employees' monthly ...
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Analysis
Harmonising benefits post-merger
Harmonising benefits after a merger or acquisition is a major challenge for HR and reward professionals, says Nicola SullivanAs the economy continues to slow down, organisations will be forced to review their strategies for growth. Some employers will have to give up on pursuing an aggressive acquisition strategy that is ...
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Analysis
Benefits in Vietnam
Vietnam is being swept along by the tide of economic growth in the Far East, and employee benefits are playing an increasingly important role in the development of its workforce, says Alison ColemanLike many of its neighbours in the Far East, Vietnam is experiencing an economic boom, fuelled largely by ...
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Analysis
Encouraging wider share ownership among staff
The stock market may have the jitters, but there are plenty of reasons why employers should encourage employee share ownership, says Sonia SpeedyEncouraging share ownership among a workforce is well recognised as having benefits for employers just as much as the employees for whom it can bring a welcome financial ...
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Analysis
The devil is in the detail with personal accounts
Apparently off-the-cuff government decisions about personal accounts are only adding to the confusion, says David Woods.The pensions industry has won its fight for employers to use existing contribution calculations, even if they are based on employees' base pay, to determine if their current pension scheme will be exempt from the ...
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Analysis
Incentivise staff to choose green cars
IEmployers can use various incentives to encourage employees to choose more environmentally-friendly cars, but senior management staff may be more difficult to convince, says Nicola SullivanEmployers wishing to avoid the impact of changes to capital allowances that come into effect in 2009 and penalise the ownership of traditional company cars ...
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Analysis
Review healthcare perks for maximum value for money
With the current bleak economic outlook, it is becoming increasingly important for employers to justify their benefits expenditure, particularly when it comes to healthcare perks, which are often costly to provide and, in some cases, are not always fully used by staff.Employee Benefits/HSA Healthcare research 2008 shows 26percent of employers ...