All Article articles – Page 761
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Carberry appointed to Low Pay Commission
Kay Carberry, assistant general secretary to the Trades Union Congress, has been appointed commissioner to the Low Pay Commission.Business Minister Jo Swinson, who announced the appointment, said: “The national minimum wage has been a huge success since it was introduced, making millions of workers better off.“The Low Pay Commission gives ...
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Businesscycle website launched
A website has been launched to provide employerss with a one-stop shop for information on all areas of cycling and to help them encourage employees to take up cycling.The Businesscycle website, which has been developed by the Cycle to Work Alliance, Transport for London (TFL), Business in the Community, British ...
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Council pensions should fund UK housing
Local council pension funds should be used to pay for house-building projects to kick-start the housing market, according to a report by The Future Homes Commission.Building homes and communities Britain needs is the result of a commission that was set up in September 2011 by the Royal Institute of British ...
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Motivational slap in the face
Something for the weekend…After a difficult day’s work, most employees will have fantasised about the choice words they might use when giving their boss what for, but few would imagine a part of their job being to actually slap them in the face.However, a US computer programmer has hired an ...
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Pensioner pay increases by 50%
Average gross incomes for pensioners have increased by an estimated 50% in real terms over the last 16 years, according to research by the Office for National Statistics.The Pension trends 2012 report found that occupational pensions were a “significant” source of income for pensions. The other source of income is ...
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Mitie finds staff has talent
Mitie, an outsourcing and energy services firm, held its annual ‘Mitie’s got talent’ competition, which was attended by 400 employees.The event was held to celebrate the organisation’s 25-year anniversary and is part of the firm’s wider strategy to provide a supportive and inclusive environment for its staff.John Telling, head of ...
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Reforms reduce public sector pension benefits
The government’s proposed reforms for public sector pension schemes will reduce the average value of the schemes’ benefits by more than a third, according to research by independent charity the Pensions Policy Institute.The research, The implications of the Coalition government’s reforms for members of the public service pension schemes, looked ...
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Equal pay ruling could raise employer costs
The Supreme Court has ruled that equal pay claims can be brought through civil courts rather than employment tribunals, which will extend the time limit to make a claim from six months to six years.Birmingham City Council, the employer at the centre of the case, appealed to the Supreme Court ...
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Capita appoints pensions consultant
Capita Employee Benefits has appointed Peter Vickers as pensions consultant.He has joined the organisation from Thomsons Online Benefits, where he was a business consultant.His previous experience includes senior pensions consultant at Willis Employee Benefits and client manager at Alexander Forbes Financial Services.Vickers said: “Coping with the issues of auto-enrolment and ...
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HeiaHeia launches workplace exercise product
HeiaHeia has launched an online product, which employers can offer to staff to promote exercise and healthy activities.The online product, which was first introduced in Finland, has been used in Scandanavia by employers, such as Ericsson, PepsiCo and GE Healthcare Finland. It has now been rolled out in the UK.Employers ...
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UK employees worried about financial future
More than half (52%) of UK respondents are worried about their financial future and the ability to retire with a sufficient income, according to research by global professional services firm Towers Watson.The third part of its Global workforce study, a survey of 32,000 employees worldwide, including 2,600 UK workers, also ...
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Employers try to avoid pay freezes
UK employers are responding to the difficult economic climate by trying to avoid freezing employees’ pay and focusing on staff retention, according to research by Aon Hewitt.Its 2012/2013 Global salary planning report found that, in 2012, private sector salary budgets increased at a rate of 3.2%, the same rate as ...
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Incorrect staff status could lead to penalities
Employers should be aware of the areas HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will look at when considering whether a worker is classified as self-employed or as an employee.If an employer treats a worker as a freelancer or contractor when they are, in fact, an employee, HMRC could require the employer ...
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Cigna UKHB launches EAP
Cigna UKHB has launched an employee assistance programme (EAP) to complement its occupational health, medical and dental plans.The EAP provides support for line managers and employees through:An in-house team of telephone counsellors and case managers that deliver a range of support and advisory services.A 24/7 access via free phone, SMS ...
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John Lewis says auto-enrolment is ‘wrong for us’
NAPF: John Lewis Partnership’s head of pensions, Dinesh Visavadia, has slammed the inflexibility of auto-enrolment legislation because of its disconnect with the organisation’s business strategy. Speaking at the National Association of Pension Funds’ (NAPF) annual conference in Liverpool on 19 October, he said: “It is the wrong kind of legislation ...
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Deloitte tackles workplace mental health among staff
Business advisory firm Deloitte has unveiled a black dog statue at is London offices. The statue is a symbol of the firm’s commitment to the Black Dog campaign run by Sane, the mental health charity, to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff.Deloitte has been working with Sane since ...
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Gender gap in pensions savings hits new high
The gap between the amount men and women are saving for retirement has grown to a record high, according to research by Scottish Widows.The eighth annual Scottish Widows Women and pensions report, which surveyed 5,200 UK adults, found that the gender gap in retirement savings has increased by more than ...
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Motivating staff is main concern for employers
Ensuring benefits offerings engage and motivate employees is now a bigger concern for employers than the need to attract and keep staff, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).The CIPD Reward risk survey found that for the first time employee attraction and retention has fallen ...
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Kingfisher to bring forward staging dates
NAPF: Kingfisher will auto-enrol its nearly 40,000 employees across six organisations into a money purchase pension scheme on 1 April 2013.Based on the number of employees in each part of its business, parent company Kingfisher would have been enrolling staff between January 2013 and July 2014. Its businesses include B&Q, ...
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Pension can be a benefit for all
Employees need to understand the benefit of a pension in order for an employer to see a benefit from investing in a scheme, according to Paul Armitage, head of DC consulting at JLT Benefit Solutions.Speaking on the second day of the National Association of Pension Funds’ annual conference, Armitage said ...