All Article articles – Page 836
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Mercer partners Sage to launch benefits packages aimed at SMEs
Employee benefits consultancy Mercer and business software and services provider Sage UK have partnered to launch Sage Employee Benefits, a service designed to make it easier and more affordable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to introduce employee benefits packages.Sage Employee Benefits is designed to provide cover for organisations with ...
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ONS research: Gender pay gap falls below 10%
The gender pay gap has fallen below 10% for the first time since records began, according to data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).In April 2011, the gap between men and women’s median full-time hourly earnings, excluding overtime, stood at 9.1%, compared to 10.1% for the same period ...
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Government sets out next steps for merging income tax and NI
The government has published a paper setting out its next steps for the merging of income tax and national insurance (NI).The paper summarises the results of the call for evidence, and explains the principles that the government will apply when considering options for reform.As set out in the paper, the ...
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Grass Roots research: 90% of employers say rewarding staff contribution is important
Nine out of ten organisations still think it is important to recognise and reward the contribution that staff make to the business, according to research by Grass Roots.The straw poll found the majority of employers still rate the traditional cash bonus, closely followed by time off, as the top rewards ...
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Lorica introduces guide to 2012 pension reforms
Lorica Employee Benefits has launched a guide to explain the 2012 pension reforms and the challenges of auto-enrolment, including what organisations should do to prepare.The guide introduces the challenges, explains employer duties, and provides steps on what they should be doing now. It also includes details about staging dates.Jason Cannon, ...
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EXCLUSIVE: United Health Group struggles to get market data on 2012 pension reforms
United Health Group is struggling to get market data on what steps its competitors are taking to comply with the 2012 pension reforms.The healthcare benefits and services firm’s strategy on how to adopt the changes, including auto-enrolment, for its UK employees will be influenced by the approach taken by others ...
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EXCLUSIVE: LogBuy partners Incahoot for employee discounts offer
Voluntary benefits provider LogBuy has partnered collective buying website Incahoot to offer employers discounts on household bills.The site will be offered to 600,000 employees, across organisations such as Serco and Panasonic, providing discounts on home broadband, energy bills, mobile phones and insurance.The Incahoot website features a savings calculator, deal-checker tool, ...
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EXCLUSIVE: Edenred awarded for environmental volunteering days
Benefits provider Edenred has been awarded for the environmentally friendly volunteering opportunities it offers to staff.The Green Apple Awards are run by The Green Organisation, an independent environmental group dedicated to promoting the positive side of sustainable endeavours. Previous winners include the BBC, Carlsberg, Centrica, Coca Cola, E.On and Severn ...
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High Pay Commission report: Tackling high pay is in the public interest
Executive pay should be radically simplified to halt spiralling high pay creating inequalities last seen in the Victorian era, according a report from the High Pay Commission.The report, Cheques and balances: Why tackling high pay is in the national interest, was released on 22 November after a year-long inquiry. It ...
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Nuffield Health partners Compass Group in workplace wellbeing initiative
Nuffield Health and Compass Group UK and Ireland have formed a partnership to improve wellbeing at work.The partnership will integrate the fitness services of healthcare provider Nuffield Health with the catering company's nutritional services, to provide enhanced health and wellbeing services for employees of their corporate clients across the UK.A ...
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Giant Group launches voluntary benefits scheme for contractors
Giant Group has introduced a voluntary benefits scheme, designed specifically for its temporary, freelance and contract workers.The scheme launched on November 8, 2011 to all of the contractor services provider’s employees, and is open to new joiners within their first two weeks.It will include a health cash plan, a group ...
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Government publishes review into sickness absence
Sickness absence systems push people away from work and provide little support for them to return to work quickly, according to an independent review aimed at reducing the cost of sickness to employers, taxpayers and the economy.The Sickness absence review was presented to the government by Dame Carol Black, national ...
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Essex County Council appoints adviser for DB pension scheme
Essex County Council has appointed Barnett Waddingham to advise on its defined benefit (DB) pension scheme.The local authority administers a pension scheme for staff employed by all the councils in Essex. The DB scheme has 43,728 active members and a fund valued at £3.1 billion as of March 2010.Graeme Muir, ...
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Shilling Communication employees complete charity trek across the Sahara
A team of employees from benefits and pensions communication firm Shilling Communication has completed a charity trek across the Sahara. The employees trekked across the Jebel Saghro region of Morocco, raising £5,000 to be split between three charities: Ministry to Children, Unicef and Sol Kids.Katie Frost, director of Shilling Communication, ...
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MetLife Assurance research: Funding deficits are the biggest risk to DB pension schemes
Funding deficits are the most important risk to UK defined benefit (DB) pension schemes, according to a comparison report by MetLife Assurance.The annual US/UK pension risk behaviour index, which compared pension risk attitudes and aptitude in the UK and the US, found that 58% of respondents in the UK chose ...
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Astbury Marsden research: City pay rises 12%
Average base pay in the City has jumped 12% to £83,000 in the last year, according to research by financial services recruitment firm Astbury Marsden.The research, conducted among 1,380 City professionals, found that the base pay of managing directors saw the biggest rise, up 21% to £237,000.Pay increases for City ...
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London's best dressed banker wins posh clobber
Best-dressed employee competitions might be a good way for employers to show their workforce they are on trend and know how to have a bit of fun.In some instances, however, such competitions may reinforce perceptions of cultural stereotypes associated with some industries and highlight employees’ assets in ways they might ...
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Flu jabs for NHS staff almost triple in 2011
The number of NHS employees in England who have been vaccinated against the flu in 2011 has almost tripled compared to last year, according to figures from the Department of Health. The weekly flu information shows that 29% of NHS workers have been vaccinated this year, compared to 11% in ...
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Pitney Bowes research: Almost half of SMEs will not throw a Christmas party
Almost half (48%) of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are not planning a Christmas party this year.The research, commissioned by communications firm Pitney Bowes and carried out by YourSayPays, surveyed 500 small organisations across the UK.Of the 52% of organisations that are hosting a Christmas party for staff, 91% intend ...
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Grant Thornton offers pay-as-you-go gym membership to staff
Accountant firm Grant Thornton has added a pay-as-you-go gym membership scheme to its health and wellbeing package.The scheme, provided by Payasugym, offers staff access to over 200 gyms and health clubs.Employees can visit any of the participating gyms, only paying for the gym sessions that they actually use. There are ...