All Analysis articles – Page 116
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Analysis
The long-term trends likely to affect the future of benefits
With demographic and technological evolution setting the pace,Victoria Furness looks at the long-term trends likely to affect the future of employees benefitsEinstein once said: "I never think of the future. It comes soon enough." But with some potentially seismic shifts in the way we live and work on the horizon, ...
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Analysis
Will stakeholder pensions dwindle in the wake of personal accounts?
With the proposed pensions changes of 2012, there is a chance that stakeholder will dwindle as those planning for retirement will redirect their savings into a personal account, says Ceri JonesWhen government proposals regarding personal accounts come into effect in 2012, employers will either have to offer staff access to ...
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Analysis
Proposed plan of reform on government personal accounts
The government has proposed to lower the annual personal contribution cap on personal accounts in its response to the consultation on its white paper on pensions reform, which was published last month.The proposed reduction from £5,000 to £3,600 will help the system of personal accounts to target the right audience, ...
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Analysis
Which benefits help reduce sickness absence?
As the cost of healthcare benefits needs to be aligned to effectiveness, Stephanie Spicer asks which perks are most apt at reducing sickness absence levels for employersIt might seem obvious to state that the best healthcare benefits for staff are the ones that are most effective at reducing sickness absence. ...
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Analysis
Will government's changes see company cars decline?
Are the government's expected alterations to mileage payments, and health and safety issues around employee car ownership plans, causing these schemes to decline in popularity, asks Nick GoldingThe government is expected to announce changes to the way that authorised mileage allowance payments (Amaps) are calculated once a consultation exercise on ...
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Analysis
Employee engagement: Total reward helps staff value benefits
A total reward strategy can help staff to appreciate the full value of their benefits, but should also include intangibles such as opportunities for learning, says Laverne HadawayFew people would dispute that a total reward strategy, designed to show employees the complete value of their package, can promote engagement. However, ...
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Analysis
Provider proximity is key to rehab planning
This article is brought to you by our sponsor Canada Life.Employers can often ignore the consequences that employee health issues have on their productivity, and historically focus on the medical aspects rather than on the social and psychological issues that can either cause or be impacted by absence. By engaging ...
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Analysis
Keep track of pension members
Pensions scheme admin is an onerous business especially when members don't keep trustees informed of their change of address, giving way to possible fraud and identity theft, says Ceri JonesAccording to Experian over 18,000 people in Britain move house every day, while a further 1,600 people die. Given these statistics, ...
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Analysis
Are you getting a return on your pensions plan?
For employers, calculating the return on their investment in pensions is not clear cut, but they can take steps to limit costsIt is an almost impossible task to prove that a pension scheme is worth offering. The best that can be achieved is a body of evidence which, as a ...
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Analysis
Pensions need a keen specialist eye
This article is brought to you by our sponsor Scottish Life.The UK has one of the most developed and vibrant pension markets in the world - members of pension schemes enjoy unparalleled investment freedom and tremendous levels of internet banking-style functionality. Yet often the good efforts of employers in providing ...
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Analysis
Establish objectives for the pension plan
There will often be tension about pensions funding costs as a scheme will compete against an organisation's other prioritiesIn theory it sounds easy to justify running a pension scheme, but in reality the business case is hard to pin down. This is compounded by the current emphasis on total reward, ...
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Analysis
Managing holiday entitlement
Providing favourable conditions towards leave days has always proved a popular benefit, but it can take many guises, says Jenny KeefeThankfully, we do not have an equivalent word for the Japanese term ‘karoshi’, meaning death by overwork. Yet Brits often have an unhealthy approach to taking time off: a third ...
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Analysis
Employee engagement: Health packages pep up organisations and staff
Company-provided healthcare benefits and wellbeing programmes can aid employee engagement if communicated well and can boost an organisation’s profits too, Sam Barrett reportsHealthcare and wellbeing benefits can bring advantages to both employees and employers by reducing sickness, cutting absenteeism and increasing productivity.Medical insurance, for example, gives employees access to private ...
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Analysis
What is employee engagement?
When staff are well-motivated and support the culture of the business, both sides usually benefit. Steve Hemsley looks at how employers can assess and encourage engagementIT MAY be hard to motivate a workforce in general, but it is even more difficult to come up with strategies and employee benefits that ...
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Analysis
Share plans give edge to staff performance
This article is brought to you by our sponsor Yorkshire building society.Never have share plans been able to meet organisations’ increasing needs more strongly to attract, retain and engage employees. In an increasingly competitive world, organisations have to get the best out of their teams and continuously improve business performance. ...
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Analysis
Conference news: Salary sacrifice obligations
Employers are still failing to recognise that implementing a salary sacrifice arrangement requires a change to employees' contracts of employment.At the Employee Benefits Conference's Beginner's guide: how to go about flexible benefits, Chris Bruce, director of marketing and technology at flex specialist Thomsons Online Benefits, warned: "We have come across ...
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Analysis
Employee engagement: Refreshing flex schemes creates closer ties with the workforce
Organisations that regularly review and update the flexible benefits they offer will be rewarded by greater staff loyalty and employee engagement, argues Alison ColemanIt is almost a decade since the arrival of flexible benefits in the UK and such schemes are now firmly established as one of the most valuable ...
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Analysis
Extending healthcare cashplans
Healthcare cash plans have been around for decades but providers are now extending their core products to include services such as health screening and GP helplines for little or no extra cost, says Victoria FurnessHealthcare cash plans, which typically reimburse employees for dental, optical and physiotherapy treatments, have grown in ...
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Analysis
Employee engagement: Sickness policies prove a tonic for business
Organisations that make plans to keep staff healthy and to help them recover if illness strikes may reap rewards from lower absenteeism and greater loyalty, says Stephanie SpicerThe longer an employee is off sick the less likely it is that they will return to work. For employers, therefore, it is ...
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Analysis
Bosses warned of need to compete globally for talent
Employers were warned they would have to adapt their benefits strategies to cope with key demographic, social, economic and technological trends and to stop "thinking like Victorian employers" at the HR Solutions and Employee Benefits Conference 2007, held on 1-2 May in Manchester.In his opening keynote on Preparing for the ...