All articles by Claire Edwards
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OpinionIvan Robertson: Data can innovate healthcare strategies
A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on knowledge-based capital (data, software, processes, and so on), Supporting investment in knowledge capital, investment and innovation, published in October 2013, shows that business investment in these assets is growing at an even faster rate than investment in ...
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OpinionNeil Conway: Seasonal reward needs careful thought
At individual, group and organisational levels, there are good reasons to intensify the use of year-round incentive schemes, such as performance-related pay, merit pay and bonuses, at Christmas, due to increased trade and therefore increased organisational need for labour supply.Also, employees’ desire for money is heightened at Christmas and the ...
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OpinionCary Cooper: Incentives can aid staff health support
The early years of the workplace wellbeing agenda has definitively settled that debate, no matter how often the bottom line benefits have to be reiterated in boardrooms across the world.But individual employees are not about to go rifling through the latest set of results as motivation for an exercise kick, ...
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OpinionJohn Pryor: Fleet funding models must suit employers' needs
Funding is bespoke to individual organisations and while tax changes can trigger a switch in funding routes so can alterations in an organisation’s status and attitude.These include, for example, its ability to borrow money and its own cash situation, its attitude to financial risk and its level of internal fleet ...
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Case StudiesDiscovery Networks uses data to design health and wellbeing strategy
Discovery Networks is rolling out a global stress awareness campaign after data from its private medical insurance (PMI) provider, PruHealth, identified stress as an issue among its workforce.Roland Baskeyfield, international compensation and benefits manager at Discovery Networks, says: “We work closely with our PMI provider so we are furnished regularly ...
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OpinionMichelle Cracknell: Making pensions attractive
Better education, less volatile investments and planning tools with personalised forecasts can all help employees make pensions a building block in their savings strategy.I am passionate about pensions because they can change people’s lives. The idea of saving to have the money to do the things you want to do ...
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Video
How to use all employee share plans effectively
brightcove.createExperiences();This 10 minute video tutorial above covers:What are all-employee share plans and how do they work?What are the recent developments in all-employee share plans?Why would a company offer an all-employee share plan?How can employers make the most of plan that ...
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OpinionDr Zofia Bajorek: How to make flex schemes succeed
Flexible benefits schemes are formalised systems enabling employees to vary their pay and benefits packages to satisfy their personal requirements.They are no longer regarded as a simple staff retention tool and it has been suggested that this may be connected to efforts to improve employee engagement towards specific business goals, ...
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ArticleEmployee Benefits Academy aids skills growth
A joint venture between Employee Benefits magazine and Total Reward Academy, the Employee Benefits Academy provides expert, practical training in benefits and compensation management.The Employee Benefits Academy’s 2014 courses are open for registration.This year’s remaining benefits course will take place on 20 – 24 October.This will cover: the design and ...
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Video
How to get the most out of tax efficient workplace savings benefits
brightcove.createExperiences();This 6-minute video tutorial above covers:What are the ways employees can save in a more tax-efficient manner?What are the benefits to employees of savings in this tax-efficient manner?What are the benefits to employers in offering tax-efficient savings to staff?What are ...
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Video
How to structure workplace savings so staff achieve good outcomes
brightcove.createExperiences();This 7-minute video tutorial above covers:How can employers use The Pension Regulator’s principles to structure workplace pensions?What does a good outcome for a pension scheme look like?Following the changes announced in the 2014 Budget are these principles still valid?Do employers ...
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OpinionBen Davis: Why is segmentation useful?
It is fairly obvious why the segmentation of a database of contacts can be a smart idea. In short, we are all different, and what motivates me might not motivate you.We also differ in lifestyle. If I was a pregnant woman, you might reasonably be expected to guess at some ...
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OpinionJennifer Maxwell: Employers are legally bound to support staff with diabetes
The Equality Act 2010 offers protection to anyone with a disability as defined under the act. People with diabetes can be covered by this definition of disability.The Act places an obligation on employers to make reasonable adjustments to the workplace to enable staff with disabilities to continue in work and ...
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OpinionDavid Noble: Employers must map priorities for benefits providers
Once an employer has written its project specifications, tender documents, undertaken some research and considered the providers it already knows about, what should it do next when approaching a new project?Well, now is the time for the organisation to evaluate its business needs and objectives and clearly define them. Using ...
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Opinion?Katharine Moxham: Group life assurance gives employees peace of mind
They are primarily valued for providing financial protection for employees and their families, but they can support both employers and employees with far more than that.Group life assurance gives peace of mind that families will be financially looked after if the worst happens. Any bereavement support offered alongside the policy ...
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OpinionJill Flint-Taylor: How to prevent workplace burnout
Employees get worn down by shifting goalposts, unrealistic targets and uncertainty about what is expected of them.Managers that want to keep their teams strong and prevent burnout need to pay attention to these factors: work demands, sense of control, change, resources of information and work relationships.In a difficult economic climate, ...
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Opinion
Steve Sims: How to gamify your workplace
An organisation gamifying their internal HR practices can have a tremendous impact on its success, morale, talent acquisition and HR processes.In fact, adding behaviour-motivating techniques from traditional and social games to HR workflows and programmes can significantly boost employee take-up, participation and engagement, and help an organisation get the most ...
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Opinion
Ruth Patel: Recognition strategy needs to create a positive feeling
Really forward-thinking employers understand where recognition sits in their overall people strategy. They think through the purpose of recognition and under what circumstances it will be most effective before determining the manner in which it will be delivered.Understanding how employees turn their intentions into behaviour is essential to putting in ...
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Opinion
Oliver Gray: Do workplace health checks give employers value for money?
Do workplace health kiosks really create change and improve employee wellbeing? Is health screening the best use of employers’ wellbeing budget? In my experience, the answer is no to both these questions.The number one objective for any employee wellbeing activity is to improve the health and wellbeing of staff. So ...
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OpinionIan McKenna: How employers can use data better
Big data is transforming the way many organisations work, from retail to healthcare, enabling unprecedented insight into a wide range of areas. Employee benefits should not be exempt from this process because the benefits can be just as significant for HR as they can for sales and marketing.Such information can ...