All Article articles – Page 743
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MPs believe salaries should be higher
Two-thirds (69%) of MPs questioned think they are underpaid, according to a report by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).Its report, Reviewing MPs’ pay and pensions, is the result of the first public consultation on MPs’ pay and pensions.The report also confirmed that MPs’ pay will increase by 1% in ...
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Low pay raises risk of hypertension
Employees earning the lowest wages have a higher risk of hypertension than workers with the highest wages, according to research by the University of California, Davis (UC Davis).The research, Are low wages risk factors for hypertension, found that the correlation between wages and hypertension was especially strong among women and ...
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Holly Motion: Pension thinking for the next generation
While working for Employee Benefits over three days, one issue continued to crop up: Pensions. As an undergraduate student in my final year, should the ‘2013 to-do list’ be: Complete degree, get job, enrol in pension scheme?Surely I don’t have to start thinking about such a thing yet? If the ...
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Taking a break from work
Something for the weekend…Employers are always looking for the next big thing to help them recruit, engage and retain the best talent. So could giving staff time during the working day to book a holiday be the next big craze inbenefits?Well, it would seem that some employees are already enjoying ...
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DOD’s blog: my week in benefits
Why are we waiting – it’s getting aggravating (as we used to say at school).Two years on from the pensions green paper there is still no sign of regulations to bring in a flat-rate state pension (proposed at £140 a week).Until we have a flat rate, those at the bottom ...
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RPI proposals good for pensions
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has recommended that a new index be published, after it concluded that the formula used to produce the retail prices index (RPI) does not meet international standards.A new RPI-based index will be published from March 2013 using a geometric formulation (Jevons), known as RPIJ.A ...
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Denplan to launch discount network
Denplan is to launch a discount network, designed to allow employers to offer staff access to dental treatment at discounted rates.The network will enable employers to promote dentists that are close to their place of work.The dental provider has offered its 6,500 member dentists the opportunity to join the network, ...
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Employers consider new benefits to engage staff
In 2013, 48% of respondents will consider new health and wellbeing initiatives to retain, engage and reward employees, according to research by Jelf Employee Benefits.The research, which surveyed 162 employers, also found that 54% of respondents felt there was a lack of choice in terms of competition from insurers and ...
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Wicker Pharmacy adopts employee ownership
Associated Chemists (Wicker), better known as Wicker Pharmacy, has adopted an employee ownership model.The Sheffield-based pharmacy has created the Wicker Employee Trust, which has acquired a 10% shareholding to be held on behalf of all employees. Almost 70% of the shares are now owned by, or on behalf, of employees ...
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Benefits cap rise limited to 1%
MPs have voted in favour of plans to limit annual increases in working-age benefits to 1% until 2015.The benefits subject to the cap from April 2013 include sick pay, maternity pay, paternity pay and adoption pay.The cap was proposed by Chancellor George Osborne in the Autumn Statement on 5 December ...
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Aviva to sell Delta Lloyd
Aviva has announced its intention to sell the remainder of its shareholding in financial services provider Delta Lloyd.The offering is expected to comprise up to 34,288,795 shares in the life insurance and pension provider, which operates in the Netherlands and Belgium. This number of shares is equivalent to 18.2% of ...
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FTSE 350 pension scheme deficits static in 2012
Accounting deficits for FTSE 350 organisations’ defined benefit (DB) pension schemes in the UK showed little increase in 2012, according to research by Mercer.Its Pension risk survey found that the estimated deficit for DB schemes stood at £62 billion at 31 December 2012, compared to a deficit figure of £61 ...
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Pay for app developers rises by 27%
The average annual pay for developers of smartphone and tablet applications (apps) increased by 27% in 2012, according to research by ReThink Recruitment.The research found that senior developers previously earning £55,000 per annum can now expect to earn an average of £70,000.App developers have also seen an increase in their ...
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Aramark launches healthy-eating campaign
Aramark, a food service business covering employee restaurants, has launched a healthy-eating campaign for employees.Its Eat Yourself Healthy campaign enables employer customers to provide employees with special offers and meal deals on healthy food in the workplace.The scheme will run in Aramark’s participating business and industry, education, defence and healthcare ...
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Chamber of Shipping completes pension buy-in
The trustees of the UK Chamber of Shipping’s defined benefit (DB) pension plan have concluded a buy-in arrangement for the scheme.The transaction covers £40 million of pension liabilities, which represent all of the plan’s current pensioner members.The UK Chamber of Shipping is the trade association for the UK shipping industry ...
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Action needed to boost payroll giving
Only 3% of UK employees donated to charity through payroll in 2011/12, according to research by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).The research, The journey so far … insights into 25 years of payroll giving, found that £118 million was donated via payroll by 735,000 employees.It also found that only 1.9% ...
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Half of Belfry staff take up voluntary benefits
The Belfry has seen 50% take-up of its voluntary benefits scheme since it was launched at the end of November 2012.The hotel resort’s online portal, called Belfry Rewards, includes more than 8,000 offers, such as employee discounts, a health cash plan and childcare vouchers.Jenny East, HR adviser at The Belfry, ...
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Debi O'Donovan: Prepare to meet 2013 challenges
Happy New Year! If, like myself, you used the break to take stock of the direction your life is taking, then perhaps you have been considering your career.Not long ago, I was chatting to a couple of consultants from a leading reward recruitment consultancy. They told me how they have ...
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Debbie Lovewell: Outside activities can be an all-round benefit
But some leading organisations are now taking this a step further and using their benefits packages to encourage employees to adopt environmentally friendly behaviours in their lives away from the workplace.While some might view this as a return to the paternalism of yesteryear, such initiatives have a number of advantages ...
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Duncan Brown: Reward and the road to recovery
With ministers such as business secretary Vince Cable openly discussing the possibility of a ‘triple-dip’ recession, the search is now on for measures to stimulate recovery, in the economy and in employee engagement.Employee share ownership and less legislative red tape are two of them.Despite little evident support, Osborne confirmed legislation ...