All articles by Ben Jones
-
Article
Breckon Jones: Can social media be used effectively for employee benefits?
@AmexUK joined the UK social media scene in 2010 with presences on Twitter and Facebook, focused on servicing our community of card members and merchants. Our official YouTube presence and LinkedIn profile then followed.At the same time, we created an internal social media strategy which mirrors how we communicate with ...
-
Article
EXCLUSIVE: IAG UK relaunches share incentive plan
Financial services firm IAG UK relaunched its share incentive plan (Sip) on 1 March. The plan includes both partnership and matching shares, and staff are able to invest up to £1,500 in the tax year in instalments of between £10 and £125 per month.The Equiniti-administered scheme is being communicated primarily ...
-
Article
Smaller pension pots could be disadvantaged at annuity purchase
Employees with smaller pension pots could be at a disadvantage when buying an annuity, according to a report by the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) and the Pensions Institute at Cass Business School.The bodies found that the 80% of pension scheme members with pots of less than £50,000 find ...
-
Article
EXCLUSIVE: University of Lincoln to run activity sessions for staff ahead of Olympics
The University of Lincoln is to run a number of free activity sessions for staff ahead of this year's Olympic and Paralympic Games.The activities are aimed at celebrating the Games, raising awareness of wellbeing and lifting morale. They include Frisbee, archery, trampolining and Greek dancing, and have been timed to ...
-
Article
EXCLUSIVE: Nationwide extends salary sacrifice scheme to regional brands
Nationwide Building Society has extended its salary sacrifice scheme to its regional brands, with about 1,200 additional staff benefiting from the move.For the first time, employees at Cheshire Building Society, Derbyshire Building Society and Dunfermline Building Society are able to participate in Nationwide's youchoose scheme, which offers benefits such as ...
-
Article
Kent County Council closes PMI scheme for senior staff
EXCLUSIVE: Kent County Council is to withdraw its private medical insurance (PMI) scheme for senior staff in April to save costs.The PMI scheme, provided by Simplyhealth, is available to about 1% of the council’s 40,000 staff.The change is part of a more practical approach to health and wellbeing by the ...
-
Article
ONS statistics: Average age of retirement has increased
Figures released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics show that people are working longer than they used to, with the average retirement age going up from 63.8 years to 64.6 years for men and from 61.2 years to 62.3 years for women between 2004 and 2010.The figures also show ...
-
Article
Third sector in the dark over auto-enrolment
One in seven (14%) employers in the voluntary sector are still completely in the dark when it comes to auto-enrolment and their responsibilities towards employees, according to research by the Pensions Trust.The research, which surveyed more then 700 voluntary sector organisations and social enterprises employing over 98,500 employees, also found ...
-
Article
Helm Godfrey launches retirement product
Pensions provider Helm Godfrey has created a retirement product, iRetire. This is divided into three financial planning stages: five years from retirement, at retirement, and beyond retirement.The product includes:An enhanced annuity service in partnership with provider Morgan Ash.An annuity advice service that will be open to employees with pension pots ...
-
Article
Workers face pay squeeze
UK workers face a continuing squeeze on real pay over the next 12 months, as organisations cut costs amid continuing economic uncertainty, according to new research.The Hay Group report, Reward in 2012, is based on forecast data from reward professionals in more than 180 organisations, representing over half a million ...
-
Article
Mercer and Marsh combine for international markets brand
Benefits consultant Mercer and insurance specialist Marsh have joined forces to create a brand for markets outside the United States: Mercer Marsh Benefits.The brand has been created to address the growth of employee benefits costs around the world.“Mercer Marsh Benefits provides clients with a single source for managing the costs, ...
-
Article
John Lewis takes box at O2 arena for staff
John Lewis Partnership has taken a box at London’s O2 arena to enable staff to attend concerts and events at the venue.Between 15 and 20 staff will be able to attend each event, with each chosen by random ballot.Jon White, manager, leisure benefits at John Lewis, said the box had ...
-
Article
The Entertainer increases take-up of payroll-giving scheme
Toy retailer The Entertainer has seen a 26% take-up of its payroll-giving scheme among its 800 staff since it was launched in May.Gary Grant, owner of The Entertainer, said: “The Entertainer has always had a culture of giving. We give 10% of our profits to charities we support and staff ...
-
Article
JP Morgan to launch online flexible benefits portal
Investment bank JP Morgan aims to bring benefits under one umbrella for its 14,500 UK staff.Adam Brooke, vice-president of UK employee benefits, said the bank was liaising with its flexible benefits provider Vebnet about an online portal, which he hopes will be live by next February, when the flex enrolment ...
-
Article
Barbon Insurance tops up perks package
Barbon Insurance has increased maternity and paternity benefits and revamped gym membership perks for its 700 staff.Employees can pay for their gym membership, provided by Incorpore, through salary deduction. Each employee also receives a £60 subsidy towards gym membership.Barbon has also increased its maternity and paternity benefits beyond statutory levels. ...
-
Analysis
How reward professionals should tackle conflicts of interest
If you read nothing else, read this... Bending the rules when it comes to benefits is a highly emotive issue and can result in conflicts of interest for reward professionals. Self-interest in a particular perk is not necessarily a bad thing. Reward professionals must not be tempted to let personal ...
-
Article
Amec wins BG Energy Challenge
More than 200 participants making up 38 teams from companies including Centrica, Hess and Tullow Oil took part in the BG Energy Challenge from 7-9 July, and raised £236,000 for charity in the process.The money went to overseas aid agency Care International and Sparks, the children’s medical research charity.The six-stage ...
-
Article
Pensions Regulator will not pursue Chemtura after it agreed funding package
The Pensions Regulator will not pursue moral hazard proceedings against chemical company Chemtura after the firm agreed a £60 million comprehensive funding package.Under the agreement, £30 million has already been paid to the Great Lakes UK pension plan, which is sponsored by Chemtura Manufacturing UK (CMUK), a solvent trading UK ...
-
Article
Friends Life research: No shattering of glass ceiling before 2020
The glass ceiling preventing women from climbing to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder will still be firmly in place at the end of this decade, according to a new report from Friends Life.The report, entitled Working Women and part of Friends Life’s Vision of Britain 2020 series, reveals ...
-
Article
Barnett Waddingham research: Employers face defined benefit risks
Twenty-nine organisations in the FTSE 350 have deficit contributions that exceed free cashflow, according to new research by Barnett Waddingham.The research highlights the impact defined benefit (DB) - or final salary - pension schemes are having on UK businesses.In addition, for more than 70 organisations the annual DB deficit contributions ...