All Analysis articles – Page 108
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Analysis
The future of stakeholder pension schemes
The next few years could be a lean time for stakeholder pensions as employers wait to see what the planned system of personal accounts will bring when it comes into effect in 2012. Steve Meredith, pensions technical director at Clerical Medical, says: "With personal accounts coming along, a planning blight ...
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Analysis
Novel ways to communicate perks
Ask any HR or benefits manager what they want from their perks communications and they are likely to come up with words like 'creative', 'effective' and 'inspiring'. The problem is benefits marketing material can often be dull, ineffective and boring.In fairness to benefits managers, most of their job descriptions will ...
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Analysis
Benefits for low paid staff
Finding benefits that appeal to and motivate employees on low wages without busting either their own budgets or that of their organisation can be a challenge.For this reason, many employers have been guilty of overlooking the needs of this group. Tobin Coles, head of flexible benefits at Jelf Group, says: ...
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Analysis
Where should international HR and benefits sit within an organisation?
The increasing globalisation of business is creating challenges for HR professionals. In the past, many countries have approached the human resources and benefits functions in different ways. In the UK, for example, HR has generally been seen as a profession in its own right. But in other countries, such as ...
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Analysis
Adding extra value to benefits
Those who have shelled out for season tickets to watch their favourite football team will from time to time question the value for money they get. Last season, personal finance website www.fool.co.uk set out to help football fans shed some light on the issue by compiling a league table comparing ...
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Analysis
Ways in which employers can have a safer fleet
The introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 in April this year has put the issue of driver safety under the spotlight for many organisations. Employers are particularly keen to avoid the penalties that will be imposed on those which do not comply with existing regulations. Where ...
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Analysis
How will employers deal with the fuel crisis
With fuel prices spiralling, employers are being forced to think of ways to help them and employees cope.Soaring fuel prices are forcing compensation and benefits professionals to review their fleet policies. Fuel prices topped a list of issues impacting on fleet policies when provider Alphabet surveyed fleet managers in May. ...
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Analysis
What is stress?
Stress is seen as a blight to British industry, and while it is not a medical condition it can lead to all manner of health problemsStress is often regarded as one of the major occupational diseases of the modern world. It annually accounts for millions of lost working days and ...
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Analysis
Default investment options for defined contribution pension schemes
Ceri Jones looks at the available choices for employers selecting a default fund for their defined contribution plansDefault investment funds for defined contribution (DC) pension schemes have evolved since the early days of stakeholder pensions when, quite often, any member who did not nominate a choice of fund was simply ...
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Analysis
Healthcare cash plans continue to develop
Healthcare cash plans are evolving to satisfy modern demands for a healthier lifestyle, while dental provision has also made a huge impact on their development, says Nicola SullivanToday's healthcare cash plans have evolved from hospital Saturday funds introduced in the 19th century to address the healthcare needs of the working ...
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Analysis
Wellbeing benefits produce results
Wellbeing benefits used to be considered by many employers as simply a 'nice to have' in their benefits schemes. As benefits professionals develop a greater understanding of employee wellbeing interest in the concept is now mounting.However, benefits managers looking to implement wellbeing initiatives will typically have to make the business ...
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Analysis
Operating a shared HR and benefits function
Operating a shared HR and benefits function can have real business gains, says Sonia SpeedyStructuring an organisation so that HR and benefits functions operate on a shared service centre model can result in greater efficiencies and help to hammer down costs. But while shared corporate services can be advantageous for ...
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Analysis
Buyer’s guide to absence management systems
Absence management systems can help employers to identify and tackle the causes of employees' sickness, says Nicola SullivanAbsence management systems enable employers to record and monitor incidences of staff absence and identify what action needs to be taken in each case. The overall purpose of these systems is to help ...
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Analysis
Supporting staff in times of crisis with perks
Financial, health or family-related crises can affect employees at work, and employers need to have support mechanisms in place, says Sam BarrettThe impact of the credit crunch on businesses has been well documented, but the problems it raises for employers could go much further than their bottom line. Many employees ...
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Analysis
Buyer’s guide to childcare
Of the four main options employers have when providing childcare for staff, vouchers and emergency childcare have seen the strongest growth in the past year, says Alison ColemanFlexibility is often said to be the key to an engaged workforce, so it is perhaps not surprising that the more flexible childcare ...
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Analysis
How to manage workplace stress
What is stress?Why tackle stress?Stress management policyHow to identify stressTools to manage stressThe law around long-term absenceCase studiesSponsor’s comment by Legal & General: Stress perks in health planStress is one of the main causes of sickness absence. According to the Health and Safety Executive’s Self reported work-related illness survey 2006/7, ...
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Analysis
Creating a global sales compensation plan
The world’s largest companies are increasingly looking to develop global sales compensation plans.Speaking at the WorldatWork Total Rewards Conference & Exhibition 2008, John Bremen, global practice director – sales effectiveness compensation at Watson Wyatt, said that 99% of Global 2000 companies have sales forces and 90% of these have sales ...
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Analysis
Pensions Supplement May 2008
Interview with Justin Wray, head of pensions administration and governance at the Pensions Regulator Plan on building better level of pensions understandingRely on pensions guidance for good governanceMaster trusts could be making a comebackSponsor's comment
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Analysis
Sipps' popularity on the up
THE PROFILE of group self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) appears to be on the rise among employers. In the past few months, well-known companies such as Kingfisher (owner of B&Q), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Stagecoach, Willis Group Holdings and Coda have added the perk to their benefits package.Sipps are increasing in popularity according ...
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Analysis
Monitoring raises privacy issues
The very nature of some perks means there is often a fine line between employers providing a benefit to employees and using it to monitor staff behaviour, as Sam Barrett investigatesNews that Microsoft is developing software that can measure an employee's productivity, and physical and mental wellbeing raises concerns about ...