All articles by Ben Jones – Page 3
-
Article
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer set to close final salary pension scheme
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is planning to close its final salary pension scheme to future accrual.Its consultation period with staff over the proposed move ended on 26 April and Adam Brooke, employee benefits manager at the law firm, said it was very likely the planned closure would go ahead.If so, the ...
-
Analysis
Employee feedback shapes flexible and voluntary benefits
If you read nothing else, read this…Giving staff input into what voluntary or flexible benefits they would like to receive can boost staff engagement and take-up.Employers can source this data using surveys, focus groups or conjoint analysis.Staff should be kept informed if employers then find they are unable to introduce ...
-
Article
Interview with Damien Teisseire, head of reward, EMEA and India at Goldman Sachs
Damien Teisseire, head of reward, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and India at investment bank Goldman Sachs, comes from Bordeaux, one of France’s wine regions. But although he works in an industry that has come under a great deal of fire lately, he is refreshingly free of sour grapes.Teisseire ...
-
Case Studies
Case Study: 3 connects with working groups
Staff feedback played a key role in structuring benefits at mobile phone company Hutchison 3G UK, known as 3.The company formed three working groups in the head office, retail and call centre parts of the business to offer advice on what its 3,200 UK employees wanted in their benefits package. ...
-
Article
AWD Chase de Vere offers new voluntary benefits scheme
AWD Chase de Vere Consulting has launched a new online voluntary benefits scheme, Savings Through Work, which has no set-up charges and is targeted at companies of all sizes.The scheme enables staff to access discounts of up to 25% on goods and services. The offers are grouped into more than ...
-
Article
Response launches benefits book for staff
Outsourcing and call centre provider Response has launched a benefits book for its 2,200 Glasgow-based staff.The A5 book includes details of voluntary benefits, such as retail discounts, a health cash plan, hotels and short breaks.Staff choose their discounts from the book, and then visit a dedicated website to download vouchers. ...
-
Article
News analysis: Salaries start to defrost
The pay freezes of the past couple of years are beginning to thaw, but any increases this year are unlikely to excite most employees, says Ben JonesPay freezes in both the public and private sectors have become commonplace over the past couple of years as employers have implemented measures to ...
-
Article
Pensions still top as staff see more value in benefits
Pensions are still the benefit most valued by employees, followed by income protection. Research by insurer Canada Life shows income protection has leapfrogged holiday allowance into second place on the list of most popular perks, with life assurance and basic health insurance completing the top five.Redundancy cover, which was added ...
-
Article
Thames Water puts perks in single stream
Thames Water has consolidated its voluntary benefits, salary sacrifice, and reward and recognition schemes into a single offering in a bid to increase engagement among its 5,000 staff.Its new scheme, 'Benefits on tap', which is provided by Asperity Employee Benefits, enables staff to access shopping discounts, a cycle-to-work scheme and ...
-
Article
Hermes launches benefits book for staff
Logistics firm Hermes has launched a benefits book for its 1,300 employees.The company introduced the book, which is provided in conjunction with Personal Group, in a bid to offer something for all employees.Hermes was formerly known as Parcelnet and is part of the Otto Group, which also owns clothing catalogue ...
-
Article
Framestore moves group personal pension into flexible benefits
Visual effects specialist Framestore has boosted take-up of its group personal pension (GPP) after moving it into its flexible benefits scheme as a salary sacrifice arrangement.Annabel Jones, human resources manager at the company, which has worked on films such as Avatar, said the GPP, provided by Scottish Widows, was the ...
-
Article
Low-pay training scam by US senator under investigation
Whatever you think about the actions of British politicians as they hurtle towards next week's general election, it would seem they have got nothing on one of their counterparts in the US Senate.According to the New York Post, New York State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada stands accused of exploiting ...
-
Article
Birmingham City Council loses equal pay tribunal
An employment tribunal has ruled against Birmingham City Council in an equal pay case.Around 50 female workers in a variety of roles at the council, including lollipop ladies and cleaners, complained that until 2007 they were excluded from bonuses - worth up to 160% of their basic salary - despite ...
-
Article
Prison van 'smash-and-grab' game launched
Reward professionals who would like nothing more than to shut away irritating colleagues in prison vans are now being offered the chance to do just that.Buckinghamshire-based team-building company Spy Games has launched a mock movie-style mission called The Snatch, in which teams attempt to hold up a prison van to ...
-
Article
Family issues are the chief cause of long term sickness absence
Family issues are one of the main causes for long term absence from work, having the same impact as acute medical conditions such as cancer and heart attacks, according to research from industry body Group Risk Development (GRiD).Overall, 18% of businesses questioned claimed family issues were the top reason for ...
-
Article
Aviva and RAC final salary pension schemes to close
Insurer Aviva is planning to close its final salary pension schemes to existing members to try to eliminate a £3bn deficit.Aviva will begin a 90-day consultation process in June with a view to closing the scheme in March next year.The move would affect 5,600 Aviva employees and 2,000 staff at ...
-
Article
Goldman Sachs compensation pot just under half its revenue
Goldman Sachs has paid its employees $5.5bn (about £3.6bn) in compensation and bonuses after it announced profits had doubled on the same period last year.The investment bank also revealed its compensation pot was equivalent to 43% of its revenue, down from 50% over the same period last year.The bank announced ...
-
Article
Support waning for 2012 pension reforms
Support appears to be declining for the government's pension reforms due to be introduced in two years' time.From 2012, the national employment savings trust (Nest) will see employees automatically enrolled in a pension scheme unless they choose to opt out, and Nest will cover staff whose employers do not have ...
-
Article
Halfords seeks employee willing to sleep on the job
Those caught sleeping on the job can usually expect to receive the harshest punishment, but at outdoor leisure chain Halfords, one new staff member will be actively encouraged to be caught napping.The company is looking for a sleeping bag tester to put their latest models through their, er, paces.The job ...
-
Article
P&MM withdraws Greentravel2work scheme
Benefits provider P&MM has been forced to withdraw its Greentravel2work bus travel product following confirmation from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) that the benefit-in-kind tax exemption will no longer apply in certain circumstances.In an email to clients, Steven Guthrie, product manager in P&MM’s employee benefits division, said that following ...